Chosen
by blaineisthehugestcockslut
Summary: Edward left Bella, not knowing that she wasn't really who he thought she was. Now, Bella is back at Hogwarts with her twin brother and adoptive family, the Weasleys. But then the Cullens show up at Hogwarts, and things get complicated. Fast.
1. Prologue

**Preface- Isabella's Past **

**You-Know-Who's Final Strike **

_**Byline: Jade Kingsburg **_

_**Date: November 1, 1981**_

_**DAILY PROPHET HEADQUARTERS, LONDON, ENGLAND**__- Last night, You-Know-Who struck again, for which has been rumored to be his most recent and final act of evil. In the mist of this victorious and great celebration, two great people have been lost in the celebration. Lily and James Potter were killed last night as a result of a direct attack by You-Know-Who late last night in their home. _

_In a turn of events, young Harry survived and You-Know-Who lost his own life. Harry was taken to safety before anything more could occur in the famous Godric's Hollow, a notable Wizarding community where Godric Gryffindor himself was born. No reports have been given by the Ministry of Magic on what will happen to Harry. _

"_We are very busy at the time being, and we advise people not to let their guard down due to You-Know-Who not being (out there still). We advise also not to use any magic in front of Muggles, or any other phenomenon that would attract Muggle attention." Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, had stated earlier when questioned. _

_Death Eaters, supporters of You-Know-Who, are still at large, and are dangerous. Many have been noted to be taking their 'final stance' and attacking witches and wizards left and right. _

_Many casualties have been reported now, as well as injuries. Including in these casualties are the famous Adrian and William Swan, noted Aurors for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The two were killed prior to the Potter's murders. It has been confirmed that You-Know-Who was behind the murders for the Swans as well. Their two children, twins Isabella "Bella" Marie Swan age 1 and Nathaniel "Nathan" Leon Swan age 1, are missing, and are considered alive, seeing how their bodies were not found along their parents. Their household in Tinworth, another Wizardry community, was also destroyed. _

_The Swans and Potters were close family friends, and went to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry together in their youth. _

_**UPDATE NOVEMBER 2, 1981**_

_Isabella "Bella" Marie Swan was found yesterday with her twin brother, Nathaniel "Nathan" Leon Swan, in London. The two have temporarily been put in custody with an unknown family, and will be given permanent housing arrangements later on. _

_Harry James Potter, dubbed "The Boy Who Lived", has been given a permanent place of residence with a close family relative, whom's status and identity are unknown as of now, and probably will stay that way. _

_Nathaniel was found battered, and appeared to have made a struggle to escape. Isabella was also shaken up. Both were dehydrated, and were severely anemic from wounds they had received. They have been treated for their injuries at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries._

_**UPDATE NOVEMBER 15, 1981**_

_Isabella "Bella" Marie Swan, dubbed "Isabella the Great" and Nathaniel "Nathan" Swan, dubbed "Nathaniel the Brave", were given a home earlier today with the Weasely's. Molly and Arthur Weasley were named guardians for the youngsters earlier, as per the will's of the late Adrian and William Swan. The Weasleys have 7 children, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ronald, and Ginerva Weasely. Their new nicknames have originated from the apparent struggle the two of them put up against Death Eaters, despite their extraordinarily young ages. The two show a promising future in the Wizardry World in addition to Harry Potter. We wish them luck. _

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><p>Hey guys! So, this is the cleaned up prologue. After this, it'll probably be the same alongthe lines of plot, with changes here and there until Bella gets back to Hogwarts...So basicallyto me, after Chapter One, everything is free game to my imagination. I am the same author, and honestly, don't even try to point fingers or accuse me of plagiarism.I still kind of look the same too in both pictures. Anyways, until next time guys.<p>

_xoxo _

_Lorri  
><em>


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One - Farewell** _

_I have to leave_, I thought as I packed my room up in my huge trunk. Tears blurred my vision, and I threw everything I could into the trunk. Pretty soon my room was bare and empty (laziness had prevented me from really decorating the room), all except for the cage on the bed that I had to practically pull out of the closet with the jaws of life. I looked down at my owl, Lena, while she turned her head to the side to look at me with an intense glare. I sighed. I had put a silencing spell on her, and had kept her cooped up in her cage for the most part these last few months. I revoked the spell and immediately Lena hooted from inside her cage. She was a light gray-silver owl, and strange in her own way. She had purple amethyst eyes, a rarity in owls. Some people thought it was a bit of a bad omen, and the store keeper was excited to get her off his hands. I personally found her to be my own good luck charm.

I heard the door open, and Charlie quickly running up the steps. I could him hoarsely calling out my name. He must have been out with the search team this whole time. I was grateful ; it gave me time to pack in peace.

"Bella?" Charlie said, and I gritted my teeth. The amount of hurt and hope in his voice made me want to just break down right then and there. But, I couldn't. I had already set the plan into motion, I had to finish it.

"Come in." I said, keeping my voice steady. I pulled my 9 ¾ cherry blossom wood with a unicorn core wand out, the first time I had touched it in months. I was reminded of the time I had gone wand shopping, and instantly went back to that very afternoon.

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><p>"Nathaniel! Ronald! Good grief, hurry on up before Ollivander's closes and you wont have a wand for the start of term!" Mum said, and I could tell time was running out. We had to hurry up and get our wands before the shop closed. I didn't really believe mum would send us to Hogwarts without a wand, but knew that lugging us all back to Diagon Alley another day would be too bothersome and hard for her.<p>

"Sorry." Nathan said and his brown eyes scrunched up as he looked at the broomstick in the window.

"Coming Mum." Ron said, also moving from the display window. I kind of felt out of place at the moment, like I did sometimes when I was out with my family. Everyone had a nice head full of red hair, freckles, brown eyes, and warm toned skin; me and Nathaniel had mahogany brown hair, deep blue violet eyes (I had bewitched them to seem chocolate brown in Forks), and pale alabaster skin that couldn't even retain a freckle. I used to feel even more out of place as a child, but not I had grown used to it when I was out and about with all of them. But right now, seeing my soon to be classmates with their own families (who looked like them), it made me bite my lip.

Suddenly, I could feel Nate's hand slip into mine, and squeeze it gently. I looked over at him, and knew he was having the same mixed feelings as me. I squeezed it back gently, before looking up. We were here. Ollivander's Wand Shop.

"Now, Bella, watch over your brothers. I need to go find Fred and George and make sure they're not over in Knockturns Alley ; I'll take Ginny with me. If you need any more money for the wands, just tell Ollivander I'll be there soon enough." My mum said, before taking Ginny by the hand and walking back the way we came from. With a gulp, I walked in first, followed by my two brothers.

It was empty in the shop, and you could see dust in the air illuminated by the sunlight pouring in through the windows from outside. To finish the sight was a middle aged verging on elderly man at the counter, smiling down at us.

"Hello sir, we're here to buy our wands." Nate said, after a minute of standing there, and the man just smiled.

"The Weasleys, I presume. Interesting... Very well. Who would like to be first?" Ollivander said, and Ron stepped up after a few seconds. After some time of observing Ron, the man turned back, mumbling to himself and pulling four different wand boxes out of their place. He laid them out of the table slowly, before eliminating two and putting them back on a shelf. I watched, a bit fascinated. Soon, Ollivander handed Ron a wand from the first case, and Ron simply waved it in the air, to create a show of fireworks.

"Ah. 14 inches precisely, willow and unicorn hair. Here you go Mr. Weasley, make due to take care of this wand."

With that, Ron nodded feverishly before taking the box, and stepping back a few steps. Nathaniel stepped up, and Ollivander studied him for a good ten minutes, before moving and mumbling under his breath for another five more minutes. Finally, he chose a single box, and slowly pulled the wand out of the casing, and handed it to my twin brother.

With a shrug, Nate flicked the wand a bit more softly than Ron had, and a bouquet of flowers popped out. Ollivander merely smiled, and handed him the case.

"12 and a half inches, oak, with a dragon heartstring core. A very nice choice, identical to your fathers. I had a very curious notion that possibly your wand would be identical to your fathers, and it turns out that I was correct in the end... Now for Ms. Swan." Was all that came out of Ollivanders mouth, before Nate looked at him.

"Thank you sir." Was all he could say before stepping back, and finally, it was my turn. I was full blown freaking out now. _What if my wand isn't like my mothers? What if I can't make anything happen? What if I just make a fool out of myself? _

Those were all the thoughts running through my head as I made a nervous shuffle up to the counter, and Ollivander simply looked at me for less than a minute before turning around, and picking out a box. He handed the wand to me, and I looked down at it. I took a deep breath, and flicked it. A single rose shot out from it delicately, and Ollivander looked ecstatic.

"Excellent, excellent indeed! Now, your wand Ms. Swan is 9 and three quarters of an inch, made of cherry blossom wood with a unicorn core. Identical to your mother's." Ollivander said as he took the wand from me delicately, and put it back in the box. He hummed a small, disconnected tune under his breath, before handing me my box. I accepted it, with a small 'thank you'.

Ollivander merely looked at us, before smiling.

"You know, Isabella, Nathaniel. You two really do look like your parents." Was all he said, before walking over to the old fashioned register. I didn't know how to respond to that, and instead paid him the seven galleons each for the wands, before mumbling another 'thank you' and walking out of the ship with my brothers, waiting for mum to come back, more than likely holding the twin's by the ear.

I was taken back to the present, with a baffled Charlie in front of me, looking around the room, to my wand in hand, to my trunk, and then back to me, and straight into my now deep sea blue eyes, which border lined with the color violet.

"Bells... What... Your eyes... And... What...What is that?" Charlie said, finally choosing to first ask me about my wand. I sighed, and brought up my wand slowly, pointing at him. He looked at it, going cross eyed for a moment, before looking back at me. I cringed, seeing the hurt and desperate look in his eyes.

"Bella, what's going on?" Was all Charlie whispered, and I immediately felt a pang of regret. I wanted to stay in Forks, with the make believe family I had, with the friends I had made while. But, I knew it had to end now. It had all gone on longer than it should have in the first place. I made my thoughts stray from Forks to the principles in erasing memories, before taking a deep breath and relaxing.

"Obliviate." I whispered, and Charlie looked at me for a few more seconds, before his expression became dull and dreamy, before finally slowly backing up into the wall and sliding down it, ending up sitting on the floor, appearing to be asleep. I knew that while I could never truly erase all memories of me, it'd just seem all like a dream. A long dream, but a dream none the less. He never had a daughter ; He divorced Renee after a few years of her infidelity and irresponsibilities ruining the marriage, and settling down in his hometown of Forks, Washington. Bella never existed ; She was just a ghost of a life he wish he had. Or so he would think. I walked out of the door, my trunk levitating itself out along with me, before I got into my truck.

I ran my hand over the dashboard, knowing this would be the last night I'd ever drive this. Soon, I was driving out from the driveway of the place I called home for almost a year, and driving throughout the small, sleepy town of Forks. I snuck into houses and cast a mere confounding spell that made it so that people would be confused over their memories of me, before casting another spell similar to obliviate, which in fact just mixed reality and fiction for the person. It only affected memories of me, and in the end, it made it so that people would just eventually forget about me as time went on, with them waking up this morning when my name on the tip of their tongue maybe, or my face in their head for a second, before it all faded away like the dreams we always forgot.

Soon enough, I was finished, and left my truck on the side of the ride. The plates were faulties that Charlie had made under his initial confusion caused by me, made so that if I drove around the area, and the plates ran, there would be no difficulty, but if I drove extensively around the state as a whole, the facade would diminish and crumble. I got out of the drivers seat, and closed the door. Nobody would pay this truck more than a few seconds of thoughts ; it'd just be another piece of crap someone abandoned on the side of the road.

With a flick of my wand, I bewitched the trunk to follow me as I delved into the forest, reminding me of Edward. I slowly came to a small clearing, and sat down on one of the bigger rocks. My trunk landed with a small and gentle 'thud', before I pulled my knees up into my body, my wand safely in my pocket now.

"Goodbye Forks."

Those were the last words to spill out of my mouth before I let out a sob, and began crying into my arms. Somehow, in the last twenty four hours, I had lost so many people from my life. I lost the Cullens. They themselves were like a family to me already. I lost my best friend and sister, Alice. I lost what I had thought would be the love of my life, Edward. I ended up losing all of my friends, including Angela, who I really did care about. And then Charlie. Thinking about it made my eyes water up even more somehow. I stayed like that for an hour, before I was all cry-ed out.

Slowly, I gathered myself, and realized I should have contacted someone before I made all the plans to leave. Taking my wand out of my pocket, I held it up to my face, near my mouth. Small wisps of silver came out of the wand from my silent spell, forming into a lioness next to me. I cleared my throat, before beginning my message for my patronous to take. I hoped it would manage to trip over the ocean. I had never tried sending a message this way home, but knew that an owl would take too long, and Lena would get too exhausted from the journey, especially since she hasn't been able to fly in ages.

"Nate, I need to be picked up. It's alright for me to come back, right?" Was the message I recorded, before the lion nodded and soon sprinted gracefully away from me. I sat there, before opening my trunk and grabbing a Gryffindor House sweatshirt from it, and pulling it over my flimsy camisole. I wanted to put on some nice pajama pants, but decided to just keep my jeans on in case something happened and I had to get out, quick. I was settling myself on the (much comfier than expected) rock, when I saw figure coming from the trees in front of me ; it was white and blue, and made my heart swell up with hope.

The lion stopped short of me by a few feet, five maybe, before it opened its mouth slowly.

"We're coming Bells." Was the response that came out of the patronous, in the voice of my twin brother. I smiled faintly, and knew I was going home. My real home. I settled down on the rock, and closed my eyes, hoping to get some type of sleep before having to travel back home. My last thoughts before I fell under was how I was going to get home...

* * *

><p>"Is she alright? She seems a bit pale."<p>

"Bella? Pale? She's always pale."

"Good point mate."

I heard the voices before I could really piece them together, and cursed myself for sleeping so out in the open. I got up, a bit blindly to be honest, with my wand in hand and pointing to the origin of the voices. I opened my eyes after rubbing them with my other hand, and soon saw Nathan, Harry, and Ron. I felt relieved to see them. I could tell Nate had gotten a bit taller, and he had finally gotten taller than me. Bastard. It wasn't until I saw the slight edge of fear in Ron's face that I laughed and put my wand in my pocket. They all breathed a sigh of relief, and Nate sighed.

"Oh, darling Isabella, I was frightened you were going to jinx us." He said in a bored voice. I rolled my eyes, and watched as they all looked around, really taking in the place this time, and not just looking for the sight of a golden scarlet sweater in this green and brown world. I was a bit disappointed that this was their first trip in America, but knew I'd make up for it later on. I'd drag them around the country if I had to.

"Anyhow. Morning sunshine." Nathan said, grinning, and I could feel a smile tug at my lips. His hair had gotten a bit longer as well, and he looked more muscular. I now realized how foolish I was to try and stay with Edward, to get him to change me. I already felt a tug at my heart, realizing how I'd missed a year of these guy's lives. I didn't want to miss anymore. I practically ran into my twin brothers arms, and felt his own warm arms grab on to me.

"We missed you Bells." I heard him whisper, and I sniffed, telling myself I wouldn't cry.

"Missed you too Nate." I mumbled, and he let go of me, messing up my hair with his hand and attempting to move out of the way to avoid me slapping his arm. Like I said, attempting. Ron and Harry just laughed, and I turned to hug them, and soon enough, my trunk was floating a few inches off the ground. Ron held out a simple, empty soup can, and Nate looked at it with squinted eyes.

"Ron, I thought it was my job to grab the portkey on our way out of the house." Nate said, and Ron glared at him.

"Mum yelled after you to get it, but you were too busy singing 'Bellie Wellie is coming backie' over and over again that you couldn't hear her. So I grabbed it, so we wouldn't be stranded in America." Ron said stiffly, and I laughed. Harry shook his head, and looked around.

"Everyone ready?" He said, and I grabbed onto my trunk, before putting my hand on the portkey, and closing my eyes. Everyone put a hand on the soup can, and I could feel the semi-familiar tug at my belly button, and soon the swishing and whirling motion of being transported. I hated having my eyes open for this part, seeing how I would get portkey sick after it. Slowly, I could feel the pressure being slightly lifted, until it lifted off suddenly, and I landed on my feet. Opening my eyes, I at first saw darkness, and slowly my eyes adapted. I could see Ron and Harry on the floor, with Nate on top of my trunk. I shot a questioning look in his direction.

"Don't ask." Ron said, and Nate grinned. I shrugged it off, before flicking my wand, and the trunk started to move across the field. I knew my home had protective barriers around it, so we were a little less than a mile away from it. I could see the top of it from above the tall plants, and instantly knew I was home. We all walked quickly back home, with my trunk behind us like a puppy chasing at their owner's heels. I could see the lights of my house turning on one by one, and grinned. It had to be around 3 in the morning here, seeing how it was around 11 when they found me in the forest. I felt a bit bad for waking everyone up so late (or early depending on how you wanted to see it), but knew that soon I'd be seeing mum and dad, and Ginny, and Fred and George...

I started to run, and could hear Ron mumble under his breath about how I ran too damn fast for the rest of them and the trunk. I ignored him, and soon reached the garden within a minute of running, and hopped the fence before going up to the door leading into the kitchen. I opened it, before having a person flung their arms around me and hold me tight. I smiled, and returned the hug.

"Hi mum." I said, and I could hear her crying a bit.

"Oh Bella, you're finally back..." She said, and patted my hair and pressed her hand against my cheek before stepping away.

"Oh, you're probably famished, I'll just cook up some onion soup and toast some bread..." I heard her say, seeing her bustle around the kitchen and animating several kitchen items. I just smiled at the familiar sigh of all of this, before heading into the sitting room, to see Fred and George playing a game of exploding snap. I grinned, and then George turned his head, probably wondering what the ruckus mom was making in the kitchen was, before seeing me. A grin split across his face, and he laughed.

"Hey Bells, brown is a good color on you." He said, before I noticed just how dirty my sweatshirt was from sleeping on the rock.

"I don't think blue and blue is a good color on you, though." I said thoughtfully, and Fred merely chuckled before hugging me. Soon, George came after, crushing the hell out of me. I slapped him lightly on his arm, and he just grinned. I looked down at the cards, and then at the singed end of Fred's robes, and merely smirked.

I could hear the boys finally making their way inside, explaining the mum how Ron had tripped and Nate had merely been trying to clean him off when his clothing, instead, disappeared, and they had to get clothes out of my trunk to make sure he didn't walk in here naked. The twins left with a crack, and soon their laughter was heard from the kitchen. I could hear Ron yell 'annoying gits!' and George just asking why he didn't have on any matching makeup. I giggled bit, before turning toward the steps and seeing a head full of red hair running down the steps and towards me.

Soon, I was practically fighting to stay off the floor, with my younger sister hanging on to me. My face softened, and I looked down at Ginny.

"Hey Gin." I said, and she looked up at me.

"You were gone too long." She pointed out, and I grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, that I was. But, I'm back now." I replied, and she merely looked at me. I stuck my tongue down at her, and she stuck her own tongue at me, before we just laughed. She let go of me, and soon we walked back in the to kitchen, to see everyone munching on bread and eating soup. There were two more places, one for me, and one for Ginny. We sat down, and tuned into the conversation.

"Your father's out doing things for the Order, you know that. Bella, dear, he'll be sure to see you before you guys go back to Hogwarts." Mum said, and I frowned. I realized the date. September 14th. I looked at the students at the table.

"Why aren't you lot in school?" I asked, and Harry looked me in the eye.

"Dumbledore knew you'd need us." He said, and I knew it was as simple as that.

"And I'm guessing you guys are staying here so long as I stay here." I said, and Harry nodded.

"Meaning I'm going back tomorrow." I said, and could see Ron's face fall. I looked at him.

"It's an amazement Hermione isn't here. And if she were, she'd lecture you about not going to school." I mentioned, and he just sighed, getting a dreamy look on his face. I turned to Harry, a confused look on my face.

"They finally got together." He explained, and I nearly dropped the whole slice of bread I had in my mouth, and did choke a bit on the piece in my mouth.

"Finally, Ronald saw the light called intelligence." I coughed out, drinking some of the pumpkin juice mum had laid out to help me not die. I nearly laughed again when I realized he was wearing a shirt of mine bewitched to be pink, with a unicorn on it.

"Shuddup." Ron mumbled, and I could just tell everyone else wanted to tease him, but knew they probably had all had their fair share of doing so. I simply smirked, and went on to eat my soup in peace. I handed Ron my piece of bread, knowing he'd know it was a small apology. He took it, and smiled a bit. Before he could say anything, Nathan stood up suddenly, before flicking his wand, and a nice small cake coming out of nowhere, complete with candles.

"Seeing how I have recently come of age, this means Bella too has come of age, meaning that we should totally eat cake at 4 in the morning." Nathan said, before looking at mum with a pleading look in his eyes. I could see she was weighing the pros and cons, before getting up and lighting the candles with the tip of her wand. He grinned, and soon came over to me and made me get up. Everyone sang happy birthday, and I could feel Nathan's hand go over my eyes, and I did the same with him, a small tradition of closing each others eyes to make a wish on our birthday. I thought of how hard things will get soon. Everyone will want to know how America was. Who I met, who I became friends with, if anything exciting happened. It was at that moment that I vowed to never mention Edward Cullen again. I shut my eyes tight, and thought of what to wish for. It was at that moment I didn't have anything to wish for, really. I was home. I was me again.

I felt Nathan lean in, and leaned in myself, before blowing out the candles, and putting my hand back to my side, and looking at everyone. Fred quickly scooped up some of the icing and spread it all over my face, and George did the same with Nate. I just laughed, and licked the icing from the side of my mouth.

"Yum." I laughed out, before helping to serve and cut the cake. I wiped the icing off my face with a napkin, before Mum handed me a small box shut tight with a blue bow.

"We didn't know when you'd be back, but me and your father got you this present." She whispered, and I slowly opened it. Inside was a watch, and it was beautiful. It had a chain that would attatch itself to my wrist, a nice onyx swirl of tiny and delicate chains. It had a small oval center, the framing around it mimicking a framed photo with small white stones inset in around the face of it. The numbers were written in a curvy and long writing, the background of a moon in the corner and clouds rolling in to cover it moving. I noticed it was the same kind of moon as the one up in front of me, and mum merely smiled. I opened my mouth to protest, to tell her I'd pay her back, when she gave me the look that told me to be quiet.

"Nate helped pay for it, as did Fred and George, I'll admit. Harry wanted to chip in as well, but I wouldn't let him. Now, I want you to just wear it, and be happy. I know you've given up a lot for this family, and this is you're coming of age gift, which is always one of the most important gifts next to your wedding gifts." She said quietly, and I could feel tears start to come up fresh in my eyes. I hugged her, and she rubbed my back soothingly, before I let go and sniffed. She smiled, before looking toward my siblings and Harry, and finally noticed that they were all making a huge mess with a cake fight going on.

"NATHANIEL LEON SWAN, IF I SEE YOU STICK ONE MORE SLICE OF CAKE IN GINNYS HAIR, OR ON ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER, YOU'LL BE SORRY." She yelled, before turning to the twins.

"AND YOU TWO, YOU'RE OL-" Was all she could yell out before the twin grinned sheepishly and waved goodbye and apparated out. You could see mum's face getting a bit red, but she relaxed and looked at everyone else.

"Clean this place up, and then off to bed. I was going to let you all stay home today, but you'll be on your way to Hogwarts at noon." She said, before bidding us a good night and going up the stairs to her bedroom.

I looked at the end product of the chaos, and stifled a laughter. Everyone was covered in cake from head to toe, and I could see Harry's glasses on the table, covered up and smeared with cake. His green eyes looked over at mine, and his lips turned up into a small tiny smirk before I realized that a plate of cake was on top of me.

I don't think Harry or Ron will be able to get the cake out of their ears in less than a week, to say the least.

* * *

><p>Well, this is the first chapter of Chosen. As you can see, I've changed things up, and I got maybe halfway through the original first chapters events here. I guess this means either I blabber on too much, or my writing has gotten more detailed... I'm hoping the latter, haha. Anyways, thanks to everyone who's reviewed the story and has it on favorites or story alert. This chapter took me a good few days, and I'm currently procrastinating an English essay to put it up. Not that I mind, the thing has been confusing me for a good few hours now. I'm not too sure how quickly the Cullen's will come back in right now, but I'm thinking the end of Chapter 2  beginning of 3 at earliest, and latest Chapter 4. I don't know if witches receive watches as coming of age presents, but after Googling it, nothing really came up, so I made it that they do. As a clarifier, Bella is really only 17 as she lied to Edward about her age, and missed her sixth year to be in America. She's going to be in her seventh year, seeing how she always got top marks and took the courses necessary for sixth year over the holidays, as well as the exams. And... Yep, that's about it. Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lorri


	3. Chapter 2

**_Chapter Two - Home Again_**

"Isabella, it's great to see you back."

I smiled at Professor McGonagall, before stepping in to hug her. She was stiff at first, but sighed and relaxed before hugging me back.

"You've been gone for more than your expected leave," she noted, and I shrugged. She looked at me as if she were expecting an explanation, and I sighed.

"We never really set a good time... I mean, the whole point of me going to America was from making sure me and Nate were separated to make sure at least one of us would live if Voldemort attacked," I said bluntly, hoping she'd drop it, but she shook insistently shook her head.

"Professor Dumbledore meant to keep you wherever you were for only so long. You should have gotten the owl for the all clear shortly before August. Everyone knows we needed you around sooner to keep Mr. Swan in check." McGonagall said, looking at me with a calculating gaze, before closing her eyes. She turned to her desk, before sitting down and looking through some papers.

"Regardless, you're back now, and you did complete your sixth year shortly before your leave. Now, you chose to not follow your brothers choice of career and chose Healer... There'll be some pamphlets in our House bulletin board sometime later in the month for internships and job applications to St. Mungo's. You completed your O.W.L. exams with O's in everything but Divination, but even then you received an E in it, so you could continue on with the course if you wished, which I highly doubt... Now, this year you will have to obtain N.E.W.T.s in Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, as well as Herbology to be eligible to go into the field of your choice after graduating. You may take extra courses, but I wouldn't it recommend it much Ms. Swan," McGonagall told me, looking through my records and grades. I wrinkled my nose.

"I'll take your advice and just continue on with the necessary courses, if that's alright ma'm," I said after a moment of thinking, and my head of house just nodded, before tapping a piece of parchment, and handing it to me. I looked down at it as the letters moved around on the paper, slowing down as time went on, to show me my timetable. I looked back up when I had read the paper, a bit confused over my new Potions professor.

"You are to report to classes starting tomorrow, and you will be given a grace period of three weeks to gather all necessary materials for your classes. There is a new addition to our faculty, due to Professor Snape taking up the Defense Against the Dark Arts post. Professor Slughorn is most elated to meet you, and has asked me to give you this," McGonagall said, before handing me a letter rolled up, closed by a ribbon encircling it. I raised an eyebrow at Snape gaining his dream job, but I'm guessing Professor McGonagall took it as a question about the letter, before she launched into an explanation.

"It's a formal invitation to his group of what he calls elite students. Ms. Weasley, Mr. Potter, Mr. Swan, and Ms. Granger are in it," She explained, looking for my reaction. I just shrugged, before she looked down at her papers and then looking up and telling me to go get a good night's worth of sleep. Nodding, I got up before bidding her a good night and making my way through the castle. It was dark outside, dinner done for nearly three hours ago, and I was aching to get back to my dorm. I had dropped off my stuff earlier, and only managed to put my clothing away before being dragged to dinner, and then McGonagall's office. I rolled my shoulders and twisted my neck slightly, trying to get the kinks out. After going to bed, all of us woke up when dad got home, making mum go into a state of rage of getting behind a day in house chores. This made it possible for an actual full nights sleep before venturing back to Hogwarts through a portkey into Hogsmeade, where we were greeted and taken back to the castle by Hagrid.

I remember walking through the worn, beaten path back to my second home, thinking of all the times I had gone through it while going to Hogsmeade with my friends and family. The castle was beautiful, as always. The grass was a bold green color, the lake a washed out blue reflecting the colors around it, the sky a gorgeous light blue with clouds here and there. You could tell Autumn was beginning to roll in, with the leaves on the trees beginning to crisp and change colors. The air was cool and crisp, the lingering effects of Summer slowly leaving.

I was brought back when I ran into something. Or better yet, someone. I shook my head, and opened my eyes up to see a pair of green ones staring at me, a twinkle in them.

"Watch where you're going Bells, we don't want you falling and breaking your nose now," my best friend smirked, and I just batted my eyelashes.

"Awwwh, are you still jealous that I'm the prettiest when it comes to our friendship?" I teased, and Harry just shook his head laughing.

"Anyhow, come on. I was just coming to get you," Harry said, before taking my hand and dragging me back to Gryffindor Tower. I rolled my eyes, but complied. I was going this way anyways. I tripped a few times, seeing how he had gotten a lot taller than me over the time I had seen him last, and thus his legs had gotten a loads longer than my own.

"Damn it, slow down," I mentioned when I tripped for the fifth time, nearly into a painting. The man in the painting looked to be in his sixties, and was not at all amused by my display of clumsiness that wasn't even my fault. I remember when I did make it out to by all my fault. I frowned, and Harry continued to pull me like a child with their rag doll. He did slow down however, which I was grateful for. I saw blurred faces pass us by, holding up my hand half-heartedly to wave hello and goodbye. I knew people would be asking questions tomorrow, but that was tomorrow. I had time.

Before I knew it, we were in front of the Fat Lady. She looked at me, and just smiled.

"Your hair has gotten a bit longer," she commented, before adding, "Password?"

"Sneazler Crackle," Harry said, before covering my eyes with his hands. I nearly kicked him, but decided not to. I heard the passage open, and he slowly led me in. There were hushed voices coming from inside, and the sound of 'shhh' echoing. I was losing my patience, when Harry finally stepped out from behind me, and I opened my eyes to see an array of House colors, and party decorations everywhere. There were two long tables on one side of the room, opposite to the fireplace, with food and drinks occupying nearly very inch of it's surface. People had kazoos, party noise makers, and even firework sparklers, while grinning at me.

"Welcome Back!"

The shouting came from everywhere, and soon, hugs and pats on the arm and back and head came from everywhere. I just stood there, yelling out random 'hey' and 'hello's while trying to keep up with the amount of faces presenting themselves to me. Soon enough, the crowd dispersed among the common room, and people were talking to each other rather than at me. I could smell the alcohol that were in the spiked pumpkin juice, but shrugged it off. Let them get wasted, it'd be entertaining, I concluded before picking up a stalk of celery and nibbling on it (why someone bothered bringing a platter with vegetables, I will never know). I ended up catching up on all the gossip that I had missed while I was gone, and found out Ginny and Dean were dating, and she had quite a few of her own admirers the year before. I sighed, upset that I had missed all of that.

"Why do you look so glum?"

I turned to see Nate, who was nibbling on a carrot. I raised an eyebrow.

"You're not off getting wasted?" I asked, and he shrugged.

"We have class tomorrow, and I'm not trying to give McGonagall a reason to suspend me to my room. She did last year, and I nearly burned the damn thing down in boredom," my twin brother told me casually, and I looked at him.

"I heard you raised some hell when I was gone," I said, and I shook my head before adding, "and you were damn sloppy with it too. A shame."

It was Nate's turn to look at me, before laughing and grabbing me into a hug and kissing my cheek.

"Oh, Bellie Welllie, you should have been here, and not off being fancied by some American bloke," He sang, and I just flicked him in the neck, before stiffening a bit. He just pouted, before poking me.

"Too bad you probably gave the poor wanker a heart attack," He mused to himself, before turning his head slightly, and grinning.

"Anyhow, this is my favorite song, and Ronald is ruining it with his damn spastic movements."

With that, my brother was gone, and I knew he didn't know anything. Rolling my eyes as he pushed Ron with his hip and began to... Dance, I believe, I looked back at the room. After a few more minutes of just watching people, I sighed before going up to bed. Already, I could feel a heavy feeling in my heart, and I knew this was me getting over Edward. It wasn't nearly as painful as the initial post-break up had felt. It just weighed me down, and I knew that all those memories with him would just rear their ugly heads once in a while. But, I felt... At peace with it. Enough, at least, to not feel as though a huge chunk of me were gone. I climbed the staircases to my room, ignoring the music and sounds of laughter coming from my classmates.

I swung open the door to my room that I shared with other seventh year girls, before just throwing myself onto my bed. I got up though, to just put on some comfy shorts and a tank top. I laid down on the bed, and scooted under the blankets. Thoughts of the Cullens and my family kept me up for an hour, before I finally closed my eyes shut, and I fell asleep soon after, but not without seeing the familiar golden topaz eyes haunting my dreams.

* * *

><p>I trudged toward my room, cursing everything even related to classes to hell. I had a good twenty pounds of (borrowed) textbooks alone, as well as some of the potions equipment Professor Slughorn was happy to lend me. He practically threw them at me. I climbed up the steps, nearly yelling at a first year who had the misfortune to bump into me. Sighing, I merely kicked open the door to the room I shared with five other girls, including Hermione. Dumping my bag onto my bed, I nearly kicked off my shoes and threw myself onto the bed where schoolwork wasn't littering it, before realizing I was starving and dinner would be starting around now. Groaning, I began to drag myself to the Great Hall, making some people look at me funny. Ignoring them, I slowly began making progress into the huge room, where I could see my friends and family sitting together. Still dragging my feet, I, with of course, so much grace, planted myself between Harry and Ginny.<p>

"You nearly sat on my hand Bells," Ginny pointed out, before turning back to Dean and talking about Quidditch. Ignoring her complaint, I looked at the food before me. Nate caught me looking like an asylum patient put in front of a plate and utensils for the first time in years, before frowning.

"Food. Good. Eat. Drink. Burp. Eat More. Bed. Come on Iz, you haven't been gone that long," my twin informed me, and my eyes practically shot daggers at him. He didn't cringe though, and instead sighed before taking my plate and serving me food. I looked at him with shock, and he just winked at me before giving me a hefty portions of vegetables. I couldn't even complain. I would have kissed his feet if it didn't involved moving.

"You'll get more used to this time zone soon enough," He said with a shrug, and I felt as though I could kiss his cheek and just squeeze the life out of him with a hug at that moment. I slowly got through my dinner, and finished it when people were halfway through dessert. I decided to not eat any, and knew that doing anything other than sleep right now was out of the question. Slowly, I got up to my feet.

"You look like you got hit by a train," Ron commented, and I looked at him.

"Wait, so I look like you or," I said, leaving him hanging before shuffling out. I could hear Ginny laughing at some joke Dean said, and knew someone was following. I turned my tired neck back a fraction, and immediately saw the bush of brown borderline ginger hair.

"Hermione, aren't you going to stick around with Ron?" I asked, and she laughed.

"I've seen Ron nearly every day for the last year. I've seen you for maybe three hours in over a year," Hermione said, and I smiled. We walked back to the tower, making small talk about the weather and classes. It wasn't until we actually were past the Fat Lady's portrait and in our room that we go to talking. She told me about what had happened over the my absence. Harry had a short fling with Cho Chang, again, which failed miserably on both ends, ending up with them agreeing to be friends, but nothing else. Ginny had gone out with at least two guys other than Dean, although Hermione was pretty sure it was more than just two. Her and Ron had gotten together last Christmas break, and everything was going smoothly. She updated me with a whole lot of gossip, and I was kind of glad I wasn't around for our sixth year.

"Anyways, that's how Millicent's cat went missing. Good thing too, I always had a thing against that damn thing," Hermione finished with, obviously thinking back to our second year when she took the polyjuice potion and ended up a cat for a good two months. I just laughed, before stretching a bit. She frowned, looking at the clock.

"And just when I was going to ask you about America. You look dead," She said, before getting a strange glint in her eyes. I soon recognized that as the one Harry had whenever he proposed we go sneak around.

"I'll ask you in the morning," She said with a grin, and I was going to argue before I realized. Today was Friday. All hail the thing I called weekends. She frowned for a second.

"Better yet, I'll ask you in the afternoon," Hermione corrected herself, before pulling me into a hug. She left, leaving me to change into my pj's in a painfully slow pace, before collapsing on my bed. I didn't even have the energy to close my curtains around my bed, before realizing I had my wand. Reserving my energy to flick my wand, I resisted the urge to palmsmack myself before watching the curtains fall in a very uncrisp manner, but still coming down and blocking out the light and people's view of me. I must have been exhausted if I couldn't even pull curtains down cleaner than a first year's first attempt at it. Ignoring how pitiful that was, I tried to fall asleep. After a good hour of listening to my roommates come in and get their things, I yelled into my pillow out of frustration.

I couldn't sleep. My brain was too cluttered up with what had happened in the last week (my first reaction was to ask myself if it really were just one week). Everything had been so different. My birthday. Not something I looked forward to all that much, and not something I wanted to be made a huge deal. It hurt thinking about Nate, but the feeling of being in love... It sort of pushed it out of my mind. I grimaced. Those months with Edward were like I was in a dream. A beautiful, blissful dream.

Thinking back, I don't know just how I got so lost in him. To think that I was ready to throw everything away was a bit of an eye opener. I always had doubts, but I never voiced them with him. He didn't know me. The real me. Things like whether or not I would lose my magic, or if I could manage to visit my family somehow... I nearly hit myself. I was so stupid to think changing me and spending my life with him would be the most wonderful thing.

Closing my eyes, I knew all of that was over. Thinking of the Cullens brought back some heartache, but I knew it would... Alright, it wouldn't cease to exist. I couldn't kid myself. There'd be days I'd look at the Forbidden Forest and close my eyes and smell Forks. There'd be days I'd look at a swash of fabric or see a mannequin and think of the days Alice made me be Barbie Bella. There'd be days I'd look at the back of a Healer with blond hair and think of Carlisle.

But, I'd think of all the times I snuck into the Forbidden Forest with Fred and George, and how I'd get into trouble with Nate, Harry, Ron, and Hermione and be sent in there with Hagrid at the pitiful attempt of detention. I'd think of how Mum could whip up a brand new dress from a simple few yards of fabric that I'd buy. I'd think of how much I loved helping people and how life as a healer would never be too boring.

I could feel a smile creep up on my face, and let myself actually relax. Suddenly, the bed felt so mushy but firm and amazing, and the sheets felt so cool and silky...

* * *

><p>"Swan?"<p>

"The Wiggenweld Potion is the potion that counteracts the Draught of Living Death. It revives the person from the deathly slumber nearly immediately," I said, and Professor Slughorn nodded feverishly.

"Ten points to Gryffindor! Now, Ms. Swan was correct. Every one of you attempted the potion last year if you were here, and Mr. Potter was graced with a vial of Felix Felicis. Next week we will make Wiggenweld. Now, this year, I convinced Professor Dumbledore to allow a very special multi-month potion lesson that we will visit ever so often. We will start to make Felix Felicis in October-" Professor Slughorn said, before being interrupted by nearly everyone in the class. I could see some of the Slytherins looking very smug about this, and was a bit worried until he said his second half, "-Settle down, settle down. Only the five top marks will be allowed to keep their potions, and only if they are extraordinary. If there's even one mistake, you will not be allowed to take it out of this classroom. When done improperly, even just a bit, Felix Felicis can be the most dangerous substance. Now, for this week, it will be a short and simple review week. On Monday, we will have a review exam. Nice, short, and simple. Nothing too hard. Then we'll get into the fun stuff. Alright, go ahead into study groups."

Instantly tables started to shift, the sound of chairs scraping the floor flooding my ears, and conversations with basically anything other than Potions as the subject. Instantly three more chairs joined me and Nate's table.

"So, everyone, the first Hogsmeade meeting is next weekend. Who is trying to score me a date for it?" Nate said, and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I thought we were going to hang out," I mumbled, and Nate looked at me before sighing.

"True enough, I did promise you that didn't I. Alright. Who is trying to score a date for me for the Halloween trip?"

Everyone just stared at him while he waggled his eyebrows, before Ron spoke up.

"Well, I heard Emma from Ravenclaw has her eye on you," He said before whispering something in Hermiones ear, causing her to giggle. I just stared at those two before smiling, and then turned to Nate.

"For fucks sake, did you become bachelor number one while I was gone?" I asked, and Nate just laughed.

"Oh, darling Isabella, when you were gone, I had quite a few of my own little romantic adventures. There was one with Millicent-" Nate said, and I looked at him with a glare.

"Please tell me you did not throw yourself around last year. You are not that low of stature," I deadpanned, and Nate just sighed.

"Oh, Iz, Millicent is not that bad of a person, she's just a bitch. But a good kisser," Nate laughed out, and I nudged him in the ribs.

"Ouch, Iz, come on, I need those things to live," He whined, and I rolled my eyes before turning to Harry.

"What about you? Anyone you've taken a fancy to while I was gone?" I asked, and he just looked at me.

"Well... No, no one really caught my eye last year," He mumbled, taking extreme interest in Hermiones Potions notes at that point. I looked at everyone for confirmation, and Nate just nodded.

"Although, I bet he could get any girl he wanted right now, with the whole 'I am the chosen one, bow down to me' thing going on," Nate smirked, and Harry glared at him.

"Oh, is that right, Mr. Nathaniel the Brave?" harry shot back, and Nate just shrug.

"Perfect reason why I'm in Gryffindor, eh Hermione?" Nate drawled out, and I noticed that Ron and Hermione were fairly close to each other. Hermione jumped, and blushed a bit while stammering on about how she was explaining the Draught of Living Death to Ron.

"Oh, I bet." I said, and winked at the two. Hermione just continued to blush, and Ron just sighed.

"Lay off Bells. We got this from everyone else last year," He mumbled, and I shrugged.

"Hey now, everyone got their chance! I just want my own," I teased. The rest of the conversation centered around Potions (surprisingly), and how classes already were becoming tiring. I lay my head on Nate's shoulder, and he just lay his chin on top of my head. We stayed like that until our double Potions period ended, before ending up with a free period. Ron and Hermione went to the library (the library of all places), while the rest of us headed outside.

Or, we tried. Professor McGonagall turned the corner, and when she spotted us immediately came toward us. I looked at Nate.

"You did not do something to her now, did you?" I hissed, and Nate just put his hands up.

"I haven't started pranking yet. I was waiting till you were more situated," He whispered, and I sighed. Harry just looked at us with amusement, and was going to say something but McGonagall reached us.

"Potter. Mr. and Ms. Swan. The Headmaster wishes to see you all on Friday night. Potter, I already postponed the Quidditch practice you had with the remainder with your team. It's an amazing thing that we had no seventh years last year," McGonagall said, before nodding. Then she looked at me and Nate and added, "Also, you two. If I hear about a prank you two committed even before the Hogsmeade weekend, you will be punished accordingly, meaning your next two Hogsmeade trips will be canceled for you. Understood, Nathaniel and Isabella?"

I nodded while trying not to laugh, and Nate groaned.

"But Professor, see, this means that I won't have anything to do with my free periods, and you know how I get when I'm bo-" Nate started to whine, but McGonagall just smiled. It was a bit of a sadistic smile.

"Now, Mr. Swan, I would love to see my House win this year's Quidditch Cup, and seeing how you are on the Quidditch team, I do recommend you work hard enough for me not to be disappointed after last years tremendous win over Slytherin," She said, before curtly nodding and walking away.

"Congrats you two," I said, breaking the silence, and Nate laughed.

"We were a mess in the beginning, seeing how you weren't around to be Chaser again," Harry said with a laugh, before grimacing slightly at the thought of what I guessed was him remembering how bad the poor person had been.

"You planning on playing again this year, Bellie?" Nate asked, poking me in the side. I flicked his ear, before shaking my head.

"I'm out of practice, and I honestly just want a sort of low key year this year," I said, and Nate just laughed.

"Oh, Bellie, we're Swans. We got out with a bang, not a sizzle," My twin said, grinning maniacally.

"Harry... How did you all live while I was gone," I said, and Harry just looked at me.

"We barely managed," was all he said, before a tired smile appeared on his face. I just sighed dramatically, before leaning on him. Nate starting complaining about losing my body heat ("Bellie, you great big ball of heat, get your ass back here, I'm freezing"), but I just ignored him, as Harry put his arm around me. Next to Nate, Harry was my best friend. I closed my eyes and smiled when we got outside, feeling the nice noon sun beating down on me. I had missed this, whether or not I had realized it. It was good to be back.

* * *

><p>And that is Chapter two! Yay, haha. Now, sorry about the wait. I had some exams and stuff stressing me out, and I rewrote this chapter multiple times, all of them going in different directions. Expect an update by possibly Tuesday or Wednesday, at the earliest. Saturday would be the latest. Thank you so much to everyone reviewing, because it means a lot to me, and I like to know how you guys feel about how I'm taking the story. Anyhow, thanks for reading, and hope you enjoyed it.<p>

xoxo

Lorri**  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three - Back to Routine_

It was Friday, the day before the first Hogsmeade visit of the year. My last first Hogsmeade visit of the year. I laughed at myself for thinking this, but I still knew I was going to treasure this visit. It was the second to last weekend of September, and already the seasons were starting to change. The trees were slowly conforming into the normal yellow, red, and orange color scheme of Fall, and the lowering temperature and inconsistent breezes made the slow change of seasons so amazing. I had caught up with homework the weekend before after telling Hermione about Forks (while omitting some of the more... obvious things), and was doing perfectly fine in my classes now. I had returned the majority of the loaned (and old) textbooks back to my teachers after receiving my own by owl, and kept reminding myself about buying my own potion ingredients in Hogsmeade. I hated having to go to the cupboard when I could actually be observing the potion and not leaving Nate in charge of watching it.

Stretching slightly, I put my bag down and organized my books back to the places they should be (one pile for no homework and another for homework ; you can guess which one was bigger). I put my bag away as well as my cloak, and looked at myself in the mirror. I had debated cutting my hair when I got back, but then Harry said he liked my hair long, and then Ron told me mum would have a heart attack if I showed up for Christmas with a lack of hair, so I just left it at that. I looked pretty good, to be honest. No bags under my eyes from staying up to talk to Edward and trying to not fall asleep, no pale ghostly look because of the damning lack of sun in Forks, and most importantly, my eyes were back to normal. It scared me shitless each morning I woke up and saw bland chocolate brown eyes instead of my blue indigo ones I inherited from my mother. Running my hand through my hair, I licked my lips before sticking my tongue out at the mirror. Laughing at myself, I smoothed my skirt down and made sure my white blouse was clean before deeming myself ready to go to dinner.

Humming a small made up melody, I made my way downstairs, passing by some people and waving hello. Already smelling the delicious food coming out from the Great Hall, I could feel my stomach start to complain to me about the lack of said delicious food in my stomach. Slowly walking down the staricase, I could see people pouring into the huge room. Following suit, I walked over to the Gryffindor table, to find Luna sitting there talking with Ginny. I squeezed myself between Harry and Luna, and the pale blonde girl turned to me.

"Bells, I heard you were back," Luna said, before digging something out of her bag, and looking back at me. She had on her usual radish earrings and butterbeer cork necklace, as well as the spectacles the Quibbler had one issue. "Daddy asked me to give you his latest issue of the Quibbler, and to tell you he's glad you're back home safely. Oh, and he wanted to see if you had any problems with the Xenard Flickus while in America, and if you did, for you to send him an owl."

I took the Quibbler with a grin, and just laughed.

"No, no Xenard Flickus for me. Tell him I said thanks, and hope he's doing great?" I asked, and she just grinned.

"Alrightie. He'll be a bit disappointed, but he understands that most people can't see it since it makes you forget about it if it has eye contact with you, which is almost all of the time. I'll see you guys later," Luna said, her voice taking on a grave tone when talking about the Xenard Flickus, before turning back into its constant dream like quality. She practically skipped over back to the Ravenclaw table, and I just grinned. Oh, how I missed Luna.

Turning back to the people in front of me, I tuned into the conversation.

"So, what you're saying is, tomorrow we'll meet up with you guys at Honeydukes?" Ron was asking, and Nate just nodded.

"Yeah, and then we'll all go to the Three Brooms and celebrate all of us being no longer underage with big grown up drinks," Nate said, a mischievous grin on his face. I glared at him.

"If you come back to the castle tipsy, I'm not helping you hide from McGonagall," I warned him, but Nate just waved his hand.

"I never need help," He said, and I snorted.

"Right, like I don't have to bail you out once a semester, sometimes more," I commented, before Nate just sighed.

"Oh Bellie Wellie, hush up and eat."

Rolling my eyes, I stuck out my tongue at him before putting some food on my plate. I plucked fries off my plate while listening to everyone talk, interjecting every other couple of minutes. Before long, we were making plans for tomorrow. Nate cleared his throat, and everyone looked at him. He opened his mouth, and I ended up wishing he didn't.

"Alright, so Ron and Hermione are going off to snog each other senseless, while I hang out with Bells for like two hours and then hurry off on the date I have with Emma because she said she might as well go with me today and not before Halloween, and then Gin is off snogging Dean, so we'll interrupt them and drag Gin with us as we drink to our hearty content while she drinks her butterbeer and feels like a child, and then we'll all just chill and then come back to the castle and sleep and you know other stuff. Questions?"

Everyone stared at him. Hermione was blushing, Ginny was close to strangling him while Dean was just looking down at his plate, just like Ron was, and Harry just laughed.

"Don't worry Potter, I included you in on the plan too. You're hanging out with Bells because I like Emma and agreed to take her out and everyone else is busy getting some action," Nate informed him, and I just sighed. Everyone started complaining to Nate, and he just shrugged.

"All of you, shut up. We're hanging out tomorrow for like an hour or two. You'll get quality time before. Jeez, you'd imagine I told you I was going to euthanize your kitten and you only had an hour left with it," Nate drawled, and I rolled my eyes. Looking down at my plate, I realized it was empty, and I was pretty content with what I had to eat. After a quick evaluation, I knew Harry and Nate were done.

"Alright, well, you can voice your complaints to this idiot later," I said, before grabbing Nathan by his ear and tapping on Harry shoulder. Everyone said their good byes to us and good night, not knowing what time we'd drag our tired bodies back to the tower. After hugging Ginny goodbye, and waving bye at Luna, I walked out of the Great Hall with my brother and best friend, and dug out a piece of parchment from my cardigan pocket.

I read over it quickly, and looked at the watch I received for my birthday. Dumbledore expected us by seven, and it was nearing that time quickly.

"Move it guys, we're going to be late if we don't," I mumbled as I started walking up the staircase, the boys following me.

"His favorite candy is Acid Pops..." I said to myself quietly, and Nathan snorted.

"It would be just like Dumbledore to love those damn things," He said, before Harry rolled his eyes.

"It means thats the password to his office," He pointed out, and Nate just frowned.

"Hmmm... Sounds plausible."

We both ignored my twin brother at that moment, and it took us a few minutes to finally get to the two statues that guarded the headmaster's office. With a quick saying of 'Acid Pops', the familiar stairwell appeared, and we all climbed up. Nate whined playfully, but I just smacked him upside the head. I was feeling a bit nervous about this meeting, and didn't need Nathan acting like a five year old. He got the message, and instantly started acting his age. He did mumble something about how much me hitting him hurt, and I resisted the urge to laugh. After being around Emmett for so long, and having to hit him upside the head sometimes, I had to go full enough force he'd notice but not enough that I'd break my hand.

Sighing and taking my thoughts away from the Cullens, I looked up to see the door. We finally got to the last obstacle between us and Dumbledore. Harry knocked on the door after a minute of none of us doing it. We stood there for another few minutes, before a familiar voice said, "Come in".

Harry fumbled with the door for a few seconds, before finally opening it. We all stepped in, and I took in the room. It looked the same as ever, if not for the rearrangement of small things here and there, like Fawkes perch stand, and other things. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, and thats when I noticed something off. Very off.

"Professor, is there a reason why you're hand is... Worse for wear?" I asked, eying the black and shriveled up limb. Dumbledore just smiled gently.

"A small incident during your leave, Isabella," He said, before motioning us to sit down. A thousand things ran through my mind, and I nearly sighed at his flippant attitude over his obviously crippled hand. I said down on the left of Harry, while Nate sat on the other side. He let us get settled down, and slowly clasped his hands together on the desk. I cringed internally from observing just how terrible his hand looked, noting its obvious size difference in comparison to his other hand.

"It's good to see you three together again. Your presence was surely missed Isabella," Dumbledore started off with, and I just nodded.

"It's great to be back sir," I replied, and a small smile played on his lips. A moment of silence fell upon us, before Dumbledore looked at Fawkes. His expression was unreadable, as most times, and I wondered what was on his mind. I didn't have to wait for long to find out, before he looked back at us.

"Now, for the last year, I've been meeting Nathaniel and Harry ever so often to teach them about Voldemorts past. I've sent you, Isabella, letters, but I don't believe many of the owls got through, did they?" Dumbledore mused, and I shook my head.

"I received one maybe... Once every three months." I said, biting my lip. I always freaked out when I did get those letters, and had to hide them in my closet along with Lena. It was a slap to the face each time I got them, reminding me of the real reason I was in Forks, and how different Bella's life was from my own. But, all it took was Edward to let me forget about them. Dumbledore nodded, before sighing.

"It's very hard for owls to make the trip to Forks from here. I'm amazed any got to you at all. Now, tonight, I will be informing you of things that I should have before Isabella left... It is a mistake of mine, but I promise it was in the best of your interests... Now, the prophecy. You all do remember it, correct?"

I swallowed, wondering just what could be going on. Something he should have told us? That could have been anything. I bit my bottom lip, a habit of mine whenever I got nervous or worried. Nate had the foreign expression he adopted whenever something very serious was going on, making him have to be serious. It was strange and alien on his face. Harry merely sat there, deep in though, his hands fidgeting against each other.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. The two born to those also who have defied him at the height of the ninth month will aide him in his quest against the Dark Lord... Identical in many ways, yet different in others…. the Dark Lord will mark he who can thwart his wrath as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives..." Dumbledore recited perfectly, before shifting the position of his hands slightly. He looked troubled, and I could feel my heart start to ache. He continued on.

"Now, you might wonder just how Tom has survived what he has, and there is an answer. Long ago, Tom questioned a professor of his who had a soft spot for him a very important question. With it, he has managed to be able to be invincible, some would say immortal. Voldemort made seven horcruxes. A horcrux is truly one of the darkest items in the dark arts, and is not taken at all lightly. It includes murdering someone, which many say in itself is a terrible crime that already makes your soul break. It was ultimately a fragment of your soul, hidden in an item you enchant for that particular reason. Harry, you destroyed one your second year. His diary. Bella, you destroyed another, after the incident at the Ministry of Magic involving Salazar Slytherin's locket Bellatrix was wearing when the fiendfyre was unleashed in the Department of Mysteries and you threw it into the fire. Nate, you destroyed one as well with the sword of Gryffindor when Nagini took aim at you in last years attack. Now, I myself have destroyed a few, leaving Voldemort with only one soul fragment. That is, in his own body."

After his small speech, he sat there, looking at our reactions. I had gotten up about halfway through the speech and started pacing, while Nate followed my own fidgeting tendencies and was leaning on the wall, the tip of his thumb in his mouth, looking deep in thought. Harry was slumped in his chair, staring at the ground. I wanted to sit next to him and take his hand in mine, but I couldn't seem to stay still.

I started fiddling with my hair as I paced, and everyone was given their own space to think for a few minutes. I could tell everything was at a boiling point. The war we were fighting seemed to to change into our favor considerably, but I knew that the only way it'd really be finished was when Voldemort was dead. I remembered back to when I destroyed the locket, when one of the death eaters had stupidly released the enchanted fire in the room with all of the prophecies. The screams of dying death eaters and the rogue Ministry workers played themselves in my mind again, and the sounds of the locket... Dying. I wrapped my arms around myself, wanting to just go back to when I was a kid and only had to worry about having counter pranks against my brothers.

Harry broke the silence, taking me away from my own thoughts.

"Sir... Why.. Why are you telling us this all of a sudden?" Harry asked quietly, and I stopped in my tracks to look at Dumbledore. His expression was surprisingly calm.

"Now... I received my injury from tracking down the last of the horcruxes that I destroyed. I had been... Foolish. Impulsive. The ring had a curse on it, and I only managed to get back to the castle and get treated by Severus in time for the curse to be contained. For that time," our headmaster said, leaving the rest of his explanation to lay out in the open air. He was going to die. No, scratch that. He was already dying. I could feel tears start to pool in my eyes, and I didn't even try to fight them. I could feel them rolling down my face.

"Professor..." I said softly, and he looked at me with a weary smile. I took a deep breath, and gave myself a minute before continuing, hoping my voice wouldn't crack.

"There's... Nothing that can be done?" I said, whispering the last part. He shook his head, and looked back at Fawkes.

"To the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure." was all he said. I looked at him horrified, and could feel the tears continue to fall. Leave it to Dumbledore to near damn welcome his own death, greeting death like an old friend... That left me thinking about a story mum had told me a long time ago, when the tale of three brothers wove themselves into my dreams as she bid me goodnight and left me to sleep. I shook my head. Now was not the time to think about The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

I could tell Nate and Harry weren't taking the news any better than me. Harrys hands had long formed into fists that trembled slightly, and Nate ended up sitting, with his back against the wall, his hand stuck to his hair, continuously pulling it back from his face. I could tell what we were all thinking.

Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard of our generation. Hell, in the whole world really. The fact that he was dying was... Shocking. Unexpected. And most importantly, emotional. While we all could agree Harry was the closest to Dumbledore, me and Nate were still fairly close to him. He had been there, all these years. I remembered he would visit the Burrow when me and Nate were just toddlers during the holidays to say hello, and remembered how I would tug on his beard and laugh when he made a different face each time I did. I remembered how his eyes would twinkle and the skin around his eyes would wrinkle when he smiled.

Looking back, I can never really tell how long our mutual silence was. I just remembered that he cleared his throat softly before quietly telling us to have a good night and get some rest and have fun tomorrow at Hogsmeade. Before we left, I hugged him, as did Harry and Nate. We walked back to Gryffindor tower quickly, none of us bothering to talk or try to strike up a conversation. When we got to the empty common room, I mumbled a quick goodnight before heading up the girls staircase, and quietly walked into my room and changed as fast as possible. I barely managed to close my bed curtains and whisper 'muffliato' quickly before I started crying. I fell asleep crying, and woke up the next morning with tear tracks fresh on my cheeks, and knew that even though I didn't remember them, my dreams hadn't been pleasant.

Everyone else was gone when I got out of bed, probably eager to hurry up and spend as much time as they could at Hogsmeade. I took my time showering, letting the smell of my strawberry shampoo and lavender body wash soothe me. I threw on some skinny jeans and my (washed) Gryffindor sweater shirt, forgoing makeup aside from some lip balm. I attempted to actually do something with my hair, but ended up just putting it up in a functional high ponytail. After a small pep talk, I hurried up to get the Great Hall before someone came looking for me.

I put on a small smile, but my thoughts for the day started off cynical. I sat myself between Harry and Ginny, and leaned my head on Harry's shoulder. Nate looked particularly subdued, but made the excuse that he was up late last night working on prank layouts. I nibbled on some toast, not in the particular mood to eat. However, Ron did manage to make me eat a slice of bacon, which I, too, nibbled on. After drinking the last of my pumpkin juice, I got up and everyone else followed suit. Hermione and Ron held hands, and I could feel my face and thoughts soften and brighten up a bit. Ginny followed suit with Dean, although they looked to be in the midst of having a heated debate under their breaths to each other. With a sigh, I ignored them. Looking away from the 'happy' couple, I noticed a girl with a caramel complexion, black hair, and stunning gray eyes walk up to Nate. She said something and he laughed, before leaning in to kiss her cheek. I guessed this was Emma, and couldn't help but have a genuine smile. Nate looked over at me, and I winked at him. He winked back with a grin that I could only describe alike to the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.

We walked in pairs, with me and Harry crossing our arms together and talking while everyone was else was with their significant other. We were talking over Quidditch plays when we finally reached the beginning of the quaint wizard village, and we immediately talked it over. We'd meet back in three hours, with Nate finding me in two and hanging out with me for an hour with Emma. Everyone voiced their agreement, and soon we all left to wherever we needed to go.

Me and Harry stood off the side of the pathway, still discussing Quidditch plays, before he pointed out to me that I had some shopping to do. Swearing at almost forgetting, I dragged him to the local Apothecary. Opening the door to the shop, the faint but pleasant scent of hundreds of herbs and potion ingredients intoxicated my senses. After about twenty minutes of me just staring at everything, Harry made me finally buy an advanced potions kit and some other ingredients he knew I'd end up wanting and needing.

Afterwards, we headed over to the basic writing supplies store, buying parchment and quills and ink. I'd been running low seeing how I never went back to school shopping before coming back to Hogswart, and made Harry run low from taking his things (Nate kept his own supplies somewhere in his trunk, which I was not keen on visiting after an incident concerning a balloon, a sandwich, ink, and soda in our fifth year). It was my turn to drag him away from buying a million different quills made from exotic animals. He snickered when I bought a peacock feather quill, and I just rolled my eyes and looked down at his hawk feather quill. That soon shut him up, and I smiled sweetly.

We walked out toward the woods area of Hogsmeade with our purchases in hand, talking about random things like classes and the weather. Soon, things got quiet, and we ended up laying on the ground and staring up at the sky. He would point out some cloud that looked like a car, and I'd just laugh. It usually resembled more of a shapeless blob or a piece of cotton candy at best, but he would insist about his 'gorgeous Ford Anglia', and how Trelawney would be proud of his cloud observing skills. That sent us both into a riot. We calmed down for a bit, and I sighed.

"Be careful, Harry Potter, or the cloud will come down and kill you in a terrible, awful, painful death," I warned him in a grave, dream like voice that resembled our Divinations teachers own tone, and we both ended up losing it again. We had just calmed down a bit (with the occasional burst of laughter and then small laugh fest), when I heard Nate's voice. I couldn't tell what he was saying, but if he was looking for me and reverting to yelling, it wasn't anything not embarrassing.

Harry wrinkled his nose, before looking at me.

"You're going to kill him when he gets here," He notified me, as he stood up and stretched, before putting his hand out. I snorted before taking it, and he pulled me up, just as I saw the familiar mop of brown hair come down the pathway.

"OH BELLIE WELLIE DELLIE MELLIE, WHERE FOR ART THOU LONELY SISTER? IF I AM THE SUN, AND YOU ARE THE CLOUDS, YOU SHOULD KINDA SORTA BE OVER HERE RIGHT NOW."

I blinked rapidly at the song Nathan had made up and was obviously keen on everyone hearing, with Emma trying to get him to quiet down a bit, but failing, and laughing in between her shushing him. He caught sight of me after belting out the song again, and instantly ran towards me.

Bloody hell, was all I thought before I threw myself out of the way, resulting in him rolling down the slight hill and calling out a mumbled "fuck". Emma just looked at us and laughed, while hurrying down the hill to get to Nate. Harry looked amused, and just helped me up again.

"Time to go to Honeydukes?" He asked me, making the pose men did before escorting their date to the ball. I looked over at Nate and quickly assessed he wasn't bleeding or really injured, before grinning.

"Very much so," I said, before walking off and grinning, my arm linked through his. Emma and Nate joined us soon after, Nate limping a bit. He scowled at me, and I just pouted at him before he rolled his eyes and pushed into me. It was my turn to roll my eyes at him, before he formally introduced me to Emma. I swatted my hand at his arm, and he gasped.

"Why are you physically attacking me? Abuse!" He cried out, and I just flicked his chin.

"You should have introduced us properly earlier," I said, before turning to Emma.

"Nice to meet you," I said, and she just smiled.

"I've heard a lot about you," The black haired girl said, and I just grinned.

"All good right? Cause if not..." I joked, and Nate just let out a groan.

"Bells, what else? I mean, yeah sure you physically abuse me at every oppurtunity..." He whined, and I just sighed.

"Oh, Nathaniel, your accusations wound me," I said aridly, and Emma just laughed at the two of us before striking up a conversation about professional Quidditch. Emma and Nate debated between the Chudley Cannons and Puddlemere United, while Harry was defending the Tutshill Tornadoes after the both of them basically took a shit all over them. I just ignored them, having not watched professional Quidditch in over a year. Thankfully, it was a ten minute walk back to Honeydukes, and soon enough, all talk of Quidditch disappeared when we all were inside the candy shop. Instantly, Nate said he was going to buy some Chocolate Frogs, and dragged Emma with him. Rolling my eyes, I looked around.

"I think I'm going to buy a bit of everything," I mused, and Harry just smirked.

"You're going to drive Hermione up the wall if you do," He said, his green eyes staring at a barrel filled with Ice Mice, which I instantly got a bag for and dumped some in. I winked at him.

"Oh, I know."

* * *

><p>We got back from Hogsmeade just when the curfew was about to be set for students, and I nearly smacked Nate upside the head. It was his fault, seeing how he wanted to play a game of hide and go seek in the Shrieking Shack, and we ended up losing him for a good two hours while he sat in the corner with Harry's invisibility cloak. It wasn't until I heard him laugh and smack the 'wall' that we found him. We all had an hour of down time until dinner, so everyone was entertaining themselves with a game or reading a book (in Ginny's case). I heard Nate swear as he, Dean, Ron, and Hermione played their fifth round of Exploding Snaps, but I had no time to look back and laugh. I looked down at the board game in front of me, and found exactly what I was looking for.<p>

"Knight to A-7," I said, a triumphant smile on my face as Harry swore. It had come down to who was the best at unpredictable tactics for this game, seeing how after all these years of playing against each other, we knew each others thinking process far too well. I tapped my wand on the board, and the pieces all patched right up, and packed themselves back into the box, along with the chess board.

"Best two out of three when we come back from dinner?" Harry asked, and I smirked.

"Sure, if it gives me another reason to beat you," I teased, and Harry shook his head.

"I will be triumphant in this battle, Swan," He warned, and I sighed.

"Potter, you're mistaken, for I will be victorious. Anyways, I'm starving, and I'm sure everyone else is too, so pick your pride up off the ground and come on," I shot back, and he just laughed before standing up. I followed suit, and he just shook his head.

"Oh, Bella, so cocky. Can't wait to demolish you when we get back," Harry retaliated with, and I just shrug and started walking out with everyone else. Suddenly, I could feel extra weight practically jump on top of me.

"For fucks sake," I muttered as Nate latched on to my neck and tried to stay on my back without his feet touching the ground. I tried to shake him off, but it just resulted in his sneakers pressing even harder into my side. With a groan, I hobbled the whole way to the Great Hall, everyone around us laughing at what they knew was Nate's usual humor, or what I call it, idiocy. I manage to finally shake him off when I sat down for dinner (although I could tell he had debated still latching on then), and he just put his legs in my lap when he sat down next to me.

"Bellie, lighten up," Nate said, and I nearly punched him in face. He just grinned before kissing my cheek and hugging me.

"Awwhhh, Bellie Wellie, come on, smile," He cooed, and I just sat there, trying to eat and drink my dinner in peace. He pouted when he realized I was ignoring him, and shrugged before licking my cheek. I shrieked, and he clapped.

"Yes, I got something other than a scowl out of her," He said, putting his hands up in victory. I poked him in the spot on his side that I knew was ticklish, and he instantly doubled over slightly and groaned.

"Bells, that's not fair," He moaned, and I just took a sip of my pumpkin juice.

"It's what you get for you foo-" I started to say when the doors of the Great Hall opened up with a low screech. I looked back, and instantly wished I hadn't. The familiar sheet white skin, golden topaz eyes, and picture perfect looks hit me like ice water. No, it couldn't be, I tried to reason with myself, but I realized it was, when everyone else became quiet and stared at the new comers, the strangers.

There they were, in all their glory. The Cullens.

* * *

><p>Hey guys. Sorry for the delay, I know I promised by yesterday night, but I wrote like two more pages than normal on Word, so I was hoping you guys would excuse my tardy with that said. Anyways. The Cullens are now back in the story. Now, I know you guys might have questions about the timelines and past events, so just shoot me a PM and I'll try my best to answer your questions. Anyways, good luck with school tomorrow, and I'm already starting on the next chapter since I'm really into it now that the drama is starting, so look out for a chapter four soon!<p>

xoxo

Lorri


	5. Chapter 4

**_Chapter Four- Back Again My Love_**

No. They couldn't be here. I was some... 6,000 miles away from Forks. More. Probably a lot more. But... It must be the jet lag, I thought to myself. Or maybe someone had slipped something in my food. It must be something. They couldn't be here. The Cullens didn't belong in my world of potions and transfiguration and quidditch. There must be a reason. Something that could explain why I was seeing my worst nightmare come to life. Wait. Maybe I was still asleep somehow. Yes, that must be it. I must be asleep.

The worst thing about it all was thatI couldn't even start to fool myself. They were really here. I knew it as soon as I looked around and found that people were staring at them. Some of the upperclassmen (mainly those in D.A) were up with their wands pointing at the intruders, and I realized that I must have done so too as a reflex while still going through my current status of sanity. I tightened my grip on my wand, and made sure to not shake. I thankfully wasn't shaking, but my breathing was coming out in short, shaky breaths. Nobody moved, nothing happened. Everything was quiet, aside from the random sound of a cloak shuffling or moving slightly. I shook my hair out of my face, and instantly, I regretted it.

The Cullens instantly scanned the room, their eyes a bit wider than before at the familiar scent of freesia and lavender. They finally saw me, and some of them immediately stiffened up. Most of them adverted their eyes away from my own, except for Rosalie and Emmett, who were looking at me with a curious stare. I could tell Emmett was a bit confused about my eye color, but ignored the look of confusion on his face (which I had to admit was a bit hilarious). I decided since I was already found out, I might as well see how well the people that had been so important to me were doing.

The Cullens looked right about the same. Rosalie looked much happier however, and Alice had a pinched look on her face. I couldn't tell if the use of magic and all the unpredictableness of it could possibly hinder her vision, or if it was the overlapping of so many people with others. Something was off for her though, and I knew it frustrated her. It pleased me to know that something was bugging the hell out of her. I knew she didn't regret leaving me, just by looking at her. Emmett looked happy (like always), but Jasper looked pained from all the feelings pounding into him at that moment. Carlisle was surveying the room quietly, and Esme just look intrigued. I looked to the left of her, and saw the person I had been trying to forget about.

Edward was standing there. His copper bronze hair stuck up in the same manner it always did, looking messy but still tasteful. His eyes were a light golden topaz, like the rest of his families, and they held nothing like mine had after he left me. They actually made it out to seem that he was happy, at peace with his life at that moment. He looked perfect, pristine. No bags under his eyes, no purple bruises, nothing to say that he had been suffering like I had. And that's when I realized. Regardless of the fact that I loved him, I knew I was slowly starting to hate him too. Hate him for toying with me. Hate him for even approaching me. Hate him for leaving me. Hate him for showing up right now.

They were a bit defensive about the wands, and I could tell from the slight shift in their stance from when they walked in to now. I didn't blame them. I knew I could be extremely dangerous, and so could a lot of the D.A members. And for all they knew, any curse could affect them. I wondered at that moment if the three unforgivable curses worked on vampires, when I heard clapping.

I snapped my head to the source of it while still pointing my wand at the Cullens. And there was Dumbledore, clapping his normal hand and his damaged hand together, looking a bit amused. I was fuming, but then realized something. The Cullens had gotten into a castle filled with aurors and Order members. They had gotten into a castle with countless spells and curses protecting it. They didn't know a damn thing about magic.

"Everyone, relax, sit. Please," Dumbledore said, and there was a lot of grumbling and adjusting. The sounds of swishing fabric, moving silverware, the occasional 'sorry mate' or 'oops' coming from each table, and the slipping of wands back into their place filled the Great Hall. You could hear some people grunting from being stepped on or their cloaks / clothes being sat on and stretched, and just the general discomfort of having to fit more people back to their original spots. Dumbledore watched as we all sat back down, and he motioned for the Cullens to move up to the staff table. I was glad that they were in between the Slytherin and Hufflepuff tables, meaning they were as far away as they could be from me.

"I would apologize for the response of my students, but they did react correctly to the situation, especially in these times," Dumbledore told Carlisle politely, and Carlisle just nodded and smiled softly as he walked up the to front. Once everyone was settled back in and the Cullens were standing up front in a line, Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"I had an announcement to make at the end of today's dinner, but it seems that the announcement came to us first. Over the years, we have been fortunate to have a wonderful staff that returned year after year, aside from our Defense Against the Dark Arts slot. Unfortunately, Professor Burbage stepped down at the end of term last school year, citing personal family issues that conflicted with her stay here. Also, Madam Pomfrey has been asking for additional help in the Hospital Wing, and we have introduced a new unit in Muggle Studies concerning medicine. I now present you with our new Muggle Studies professor, Professor Esme Cullen, and our new healer, Professor Carlisle Cullen. Their children are transfers from the Salem Institute in the United States, and I hope you will extend a warm welcome to them, as you were done so in your first year here at Hogwarts," Dumbledore explained, and soon a buzz of mumbles and whispers started up in the four tables full of students. I looked around the table, and everyone looked equally as stunned and surprised as I did. Dumbledore let us have our few moments, before tapping his wand on the table in front of him.

"The Cullens will be sorted by tomorrow morning, and do not be surprised if you find an extra bed in your room by even tonight. And now, to welcome our newest additions to the castle, we will sing the school song!" Dumbledore said with a grin, and I nearly choked from laughter. Nate looked over at me and winked, and I just smirked. With his wand pointing to the ceiling, a golden ribbon flew out of it, and neatly spread itself across the sky, and the first few lines of the song appeared.

"To the beat of your own drum now," Dumbledore barely got out before the entire school broke out in song. Me and Nate yelled at the top of our lungs at a slow and somber beat, something reserved for memorials. It was nothing near depressing as Fred and George's version, but many said it came in close second. While singing, I found that Rosalie was silently mouthing the words, and I raised an eyebrow at that.

Shrugging it off, I continued on, ending up with me and Nate both singing together, lowering our volume as more people finished, before we ended the final verse with the help of Dumbledore humming and waving his wand to conduct us. When we finished, he gave a polite applause that everyone else joined in on. With a flicker of his wand, a table and seven mismatched chairs joined the Cullens, and they all sat down when the furniture had finished moving.

"And now, I don't know about you, but I believe I will get back to my steak and kidney pie," Dumbledore said with a wink, and immediately everyone got back to eating their dinner. I wasn't even anywhere near halfway done with my own meal, but I knew I couldn't eat anymore. I fiddled with the food for a few more minutes, before finally leaving it be. It looked like I had eaten a bit more, but Nate looked at me with some concern.

I just made a silly face by sticking my tongue out, and he just smiled slightly before turning back to talk to Dean. I poured myself some more pumpkin juice, and drank it while talking to everyone else. I could feel several eyes boring holes into my skull, but I was not giving them the pleasure of them knowing the kind of effect they had on me. I was done playing their games. They were in my world, my playing grounds.

After drinking two more glasses of pumpkin juice, everyone finally finished eating. We all left as a group. Me, Nate, Hermione, Ron, and Harry. People joked that we were all like a circle of friendship, but it was kind of true. We were all equally close to each other. We all trusted each other with our lives. I listened as we walked aimlessly for a good five minutes, before Hermione piped up about needing to finish some Arithmancy homework, and Ron seconded the notion for a library night. Everyone else agreed quickly, knowing tonight Hermione would be willing to help them out with their own homework.

I, however, declined the offer. I could never work properly in the library. I always needed some type of noise when working, and Madam Pince would rip me a new one and then curse me to spend my life with my ears on my feet or something alike for making so much as a peep. Everyone knew this, and soon I was engulfed with hugs and hair ruffs. Harry stuck around while the others left, and he just sighed.

"Come on, maybe she won't be too quick to jinx your mouth off," Harry suggested, and I laughed.

"Oh no, remember our third year when I kept clicking that pen and she immediately asked me why I wasn't being a normal person and using a quill, and then immediately asked me why in the bloody hell my quill was making so much noise?" I laughed out, and Harry just shook his head.

"I can never imagine what made her hearing even better than a dogs," He mused, and I just rolled my eyes.

"She's trained to make sure students don't make any audio evidence that they're there. Remember she nearly yelled at Hannah Abott that time she had a slight cold and was breathing 'louder than a damned freight train"?" I reminded him, and Harry just laughed.

"Alright then. Don't die of boredom without us Bells," Harry said with a wink, before hugging me. I basically melted into him. The smell of his clothes, the way he was so warm... All of it was familiar, and made me feel better regardless of what could have been happening. It reminded me of all the years we knew each other, of just how much we trusted each other. He finally parted from me, and I wished he hadn't cut the hug so short (even though I'm pretty sure it had lasted a bit over three minutes).

"G'night Bells," He said softly with a smile before turning to walk towards the library. With a sigh, I walked back toward Gryffindor tower. I passed some first years that looked too stunned by the paintings that actually _moved, _and just smiled, remember how I was when I saw everything in the castle. I passed some more students a few ghosts, before finally making it to the entry way to Gryffindor Tower. The Fat Lady looked at me, and laughed.

"Smitten by a certain young man, Isabella?" She asked politely, and I just laughed. I wondered what in the world gave her that thought.

"Ah, ma'm, you know what I've said. Destined for a life of celibacy," I said with a wink, before telling her the new password, 'knicker snaps'. She just chuckled, before saying 'correct'. The painting and entrance swung open, and I stepped over the ledge into the common room. Everything was quiet. It was a Saturday night, meaning there must be some common room party happening somewhere, or people where in the library hanging out or even still in the Great Hall. Humming to myself, I debated coming back down with my homework and sitting by the fire, or staying in my room. Laziness prevailed, and I walked up the staircase to the seventh year girls rooms to do my homework in the comfort of my bed. I opened the door, by this point singing full on lyrics, before slamming it shut.

I opened it again, a bit more cautiously, and knew my eyes weren't imagining it. Rosalie Cullen was in my room, and a new bed sat in the corner. I walked in, and noticed immediately that the room was a lot bigger than it had been this morning. I guessed the head of houses made up for extra roommates with more spacious rooms, and immediately wondered just how much bigger the bathroom had gotten. Rosalie cleared her throat, and all thoughts of how a bigger bathroom was amazing left my mind.

"Hello Isabella," She said, and I normally would have automatically snapped and corrected her use of my full name, but... The tone of her voice made it seem like she wasn't being an intolerant, selfish bitch. She sounded sincere. I made my way over to my bed, and pretended to be studying some dust particles on the blanket.

"Er... Hello Rosalie. Fancy seeing you here," I said, keeping my tone of voice under control. Realizing the topic of the conversation, as well as volume, could get out of hand soon, I silently performed the muffliato spell. Just in time too, because soon Rosalie opened her mouth.

"Indeed. See, I was under the impression you were a simple minded Muggle girl who lived in Forks," Rosalie challenged, and I just smiled maliciously.

"And I was under the impression you were just a selfish blood sucking vampire who lived in fear of being discovered by simple minded Muggle girls. Looks like we both batted out on that one," I shot back, and Rosalie looked like she was deep in thought. I felt triumphant, until I realized how.. Tired she looked. Strange for a vampire. Very strange. I frowned slightly. She sighed.

"Look, I... I'm sorry, alright? I was terrible to you. Mean. Ugly. Nasty. And I apologize," Rose said, before pausing. "I know what we did to you wasn't right. It wasn't even polite. I won't deny that I was behind Edward leaving you, but I did not at all approve with the way he handled it."

I stared at her, this time studying her. I was surprised, to say the least. She actually apologized. Sure, it wasn't the apology I was looking for, but it was something. And I knew it was at that point my view of Rosalie was starting to change. I had held the Cullens at arms length in my mind for the last few weeks. Perhaps even farther. But Rosalie was getting closer. It scared me a little. It was strange too. I would have expected Alice to be the one burrowing herself back into my life, now Rosalie.

"Rosalie, what are you doing here," I said bluntly, and she smiled slightly at this. She smoothed down her shirt, before looking back up at me.

"Well... I'll tell you a bit about myself first, to start things out. I was born and raised in Tinworth, England. My mother was a muggle-born witch born in Bristol, and my father a pure-blood wizard from America. They stayed here until I graduated from Hogwarts, and we moved to the United States. My father set up a bank in New York. It was alike to Gringrotts, although it handled both Muggle and Wizard accounts, and exchanged money for local wizards. It was very stable through the Depression, and of course we shot up in Muggle and Wizard society because of it. I... I was changed by Carlisle for certain reasons, and kept my magical abilities even through the change. Because of my connection with Emmett, he too has the powers of a wizard somehow. Everyone else in the family is using special wands made just for them by Ollivander, who is a good friend of mine." Rosalie explained slowly, skimming over the probably tragic reasons of her change. Pushing that out of my head, I couldn't help but groan.

"You have yet to tell me why in the hell you're here now," I pointed out, and Rose just licked her lips.

"I was getting there. Patience is not your strongest suit," Rosalie said, before looking down at her hands.

"Albus asked for our assistance if... You-Know-Who strikes Hogwarts. I couldn't possibly have said no to him, none the less turn my back on my school," Rosalie said, and I just nodded. I understood what she meant by that. I wondered why you used Voldemorts accepted nickname, and realized. She was still scared of him. Even though he rose to power when she had already been a vampire. Biting my lip, I looked at her.

"How long," was all I said, and Rosalie looked at me with a sad smile.

"Oh, Isabella, I'm sorry to ruin your seventh year this way. But, Edward will probably be put in the sixth year courses," She said, as if the second would make me feel a bit more better. While I had to admit it did, I still knew this was going to suck. No. It didn't have to, I reminded myself. This was my last year at Hogwarts, dammit. This was my home. My safe place. If he wanted to come tread on it, if any of them wanted to, I wouldn't get all worked up about it. Although if any of them did provoke me, I couldn't say I wouldn't hex them.

"You know, I'm a bit curious about your past. I think we all know Renee and Charlie aren't exactly the real story," Rosalie said quietly, and I looked at her.

"Well.. I was born in London, but spent my first year on the outskirts of Tinworth. My parents... Died when I was a baby, so I ended up being adopted by the Weasleys, and have lived with them in Ottery St. Catchpole ever since," I said, keeping it nice and short. I didn't dare tell her about Lord Voldemort. She obviously knew of him, and was still frightened by him even as a vampire. She looked at me, knowing I wasn't telling her something, and I thought she was going to interrogate.

"I'm sorry. I'm just glad you were with a loving family..?" She said, leaving the last to be a question. I just smiled at the thought of my family full of redheads.

"The greatest family I could possibly ask for," I said softly, and she just nodded.

"I'm guessing the boy you sang with today was your brother then," She asked, and I just snorted.

"Ah yes, Nathaniel. My twin brother," I said, and she nodded.

"You both have the same eyes..." She mused, letting the sentence drift off. She shrugged whatever must have been in her thoughts off, and looked at me.

"Everyone was sorted earlier tonight. Edward and Alice are in Ravenclaw, Emmett is in Gryffindor, and Jasper is in Slytherin," Rosalie said, and I brightened up a bit. I had no courses at all involving Ravenclaw, and normally didn't see the much aside from quidditch matches and hogsmeade outings, and the occasional common room party. She looked at her dresser, before looking back at her bed, and then back at me.

"Well, I finished packing before you arrived. I had better go see Miner- McGonnagal for my schedule," Rose said, and I nodded. I was a bit amused at how she was on first name basis with everyone, but knew that was another story for another time (somehow I knew at that point Rosalie wasn't going anywhere). I also finally noticed the additional dresser and desk next to her bed. Pictures and memorabilia were laid out all over the drawer shelfs, and I imagined the drawers were filled with her clothing and new uniform. She got up and nodded, paused, and hugged me before leaving.

I stayed there, stunned. Maybe rooming with Rosalie wouldn't be too bad, I thought to myself, as I ignored the nagging feeling I got when I saw a photo of her and a little girl in one of the frames, the photo damaged from the years it had been around. Something about it seemed so familiar... Ignoring it, I decided to familiarize myself with my damn Herbology textbook.

* * *

><p>Sorry about the more than a week wait guys, I had five pages (halfway done) for this story when my computer decided to basically freeze, and the document ended up corrupting because of it. I know this is shorter than the other ones (if you didn't notice than... It's not, it really isn't), but I promise I'll make up for it! Thanks for reading guys.<p>

xoxo

Lori


	6. Chapter 5

**_Chapter Five - Firewhisky Dreams_**

Life continued on. Even with the Cullens around. I would see them in the hallways sometimes. Sometimes I'd see them in the library, and I had to tutor Edward in Potions twice before Professor Slughorn noticed my discomfort with him and made my tutoring time tables different from Edwards. I saw them at every meal, but I managed to shrug it off. Slowly, things got back to normal. Or, as normal as they could get at Hogwarts.

But sometimes people never know well enough to leave things be. I had learned this over the years, and assumed everyone had to. Unfortunately, it wasn't always true, and somehow in his 100 plus years of living, Edward Cullen did not understand this. Alice hadn't talked to me in the two weeks that the Cullens had been here, and that was fine by me. I didn't mind much, and I honestly couldn't care if she didn't so much as say hello to me for the rest of my life. It sounded harsh, but she hadn't so much as apologized to me for leaving me without a word or anything. Jasper kept to himself mostly, although he did talk to some of his fellow Slytherins, and was probably warming up to all of them.

Rosalie... Had taken Alice's place in a way. We were friends, fast approaching to being best friends. We hung out together in the common room, did homework with each other in our room when everyone else was out for the night, and just overall talked and talked for hours if time permitted. Emmett too had come back into my life, and I had honestly missed the huge idiot. Since they were in Gryffindor, no one was the wiser about why we hung out so much. The same couldn't be said about Edward.

He had tried cornering me multiple times since he had arrived, and a lot of times Rose or Emmett would be with me. He wanted me to be alone apparently, and knew that telling either of his siblings to leave would be a waste of his breath. More than a few times, Harry had saved the day. He had asked me why the 'new Ravenclaw asshole' was so dead set on talking to me, and I would just shrug it off and make some joke about my obvious superiority.

He would always laugh and just shake his head, but he would always ask me about it later on. Thankfully, the Quidditch season wasn't too far away, and he would have to start up practices quickly. That also meant he wasn't around to save me from Edward, and I sighed inwardly when I was, yet again, cornered by the stubborn asshole.

"Cullen, get out of my way, I need to go do a 5 feet's worth of parchment essay on Wolfsbane potion and its history as well as usages in great detail," I snapped as he used his inhumane speed to block me as I tried to go the opposite direction.

"Bella, I just want to talk," Edward said, and I glowered at him.

"Sorry if I don't want to stay and chat and drink some tea and offer you buttered crumpets, but erm.. Actually, no I'm not sorry. Go fuck yourself," I said, the last part in a huff, as I tried to go the other way to the main corridor with some of the staircases. Unfortunately, he was still a vampire, even if I told him to go fuck himself, and he still had the edge of being able to keep me cornered like a dog could with cattle.

"When did you get so crude," He asked me, without any emotion. I snorted.

"When did you get so stupid," I offered him with a sweet smile, and he just pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Rosalie and Emmett refuse to tell me anything. You can at least tell me what you're doing here," Edward said with a frustrated scowl, and I just laughed.

"I don't owe you anything," I told him for the tenth time that night, and nearly growled when I realized it was getting late.

"I swear to everything remotely good in this world, I will curse you if I get to the library and it's closed for the night," I hissed, and Edward just sighed.

"There's no one here to save you this time Bella. Just answer my questions, and we'll be done," He hissed back, and I just glared at him.

"You know, you're an asshole. I don't see why I ever dated you," I shot, hoping it'd faze him or make him snap at me and cause a whole different kind of scene, and give us attention from students passing in the main corridor. However, he has better self control than me, and he just laughed sadly.

"Oh, Isabella..." was all he said before leaning on the wall and observing me. I couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive as he watched me like he did almost a month ago. I bit my lip, and willed myself not to cry in front of him. The only thing I could think was 'don't cry' over and over again, before he broke the silence.

"I left you for a reason you know," Edward mumbled, and I let out a hollow laugh.

"And I'm not talking to you for a reason you know," I replied back, and Edward just looked at me.

"You're just as stubborn. Now I know where Ginny gets it from," He commented, and I was about to let out a smart ass comment of my own, before I froze.

"Ginny? What the bloody hell are you doing with my sister," I spat out, and Edward looked at me with a sad smile.

"Gryffindor sixth years share classes with Ravenclaw sixth years," was all he said, before I pointed my wand at him.

"You so much as touch her-" I began to growl out, before a head full of brown hair came out from nowhere. I almost sighed in relief, before realizing what was going to happen consequently. Merlin was all I could possibly think of before Nate spoke.

"Mighty fine day Cullen, mind telling me why you seem to lock yourself up in the castle during these days and stalk my sister? Because, I know you're friends with Ginny now and all apparently, but it doesn't mean you get to go around and corner down Bells here. I don't think she appreciates your quite splendid company as Ginevra does," my twin brother managed to say, a smile on his face, although his tone wasn't anything near friendly or happy. Edward looked a bit surprised, and just looked at me with a strained smile.

"I'll just be off, I need to go get some extra potions work from Professor Slughorn," He said briskly before walking away from us, not bothering to put out to my brother that was it was night time. I let out a breath of relief, before I realized Nate was looking at me expectingly.

"You know, you should have just told me that he was being a creep," Nate said after a few moments of silence, and I sighed.

"I know you know it's more than just that," I said quietly, and it was Nate's turn to sigh.

"Bells, you haven't told us anything about what happened to you in the last year. You haven't told Harry. You haven't told me. Hell, you probably haven't even told Dumbledore anything. I know you want us to believe you lived like a normal, boring old Muggle, but those chances were ruined as soon as Creeper came into the picture," Nate lectured me, with a sad and disappointed look in his face. I gnawed on my lips slightly, before opening my mouth. But nothing came out. I didn't know what to make come out. Where would I start? How would I start?

Nate seemed to notice my troubles, and just hugged me. I stood there, and could feel myself start to cry, even after trying not to. This just made him hold on tighter, and I knew I wouldn't be able to find words to tell him just how much I appreciated this. We stayed there like that for a minute or two, before he just patted me on the back.

"You know, you don't have to go through whatever this is alone," He said to me, a playful smile on his face. But, his eyes were serious along with this voice. I realized I missed the days when his eyes only ever showed his playful side. I shook the thought aside before smiling slightly.

"I know," I said, and he just nodded before going back to the regular old Nate.

"Now, I don't know about you, but I'm off to go tease icky little Ronnie about his date with Hermione this upcoming weekend. Apparently he plans to go on some romantic picnic outing thingie ma thing, and I do need to put in my two cents about it," Nate said with a wink, before leaving, a bit of a skip highlighting his walk. I just shook my head with a smile, before finally making my way to the library. I originally would have had two hours in the library, but after getting side tracked to find my potions notes in my bag and then being stopped by Edward, I only had an hour before I would get kicked out for sure.

Cursing Edward and my stupid notes to hell, I managed to get more than half of my essay done before Madam Pince began to hover over me. I was obviously one of the last students left, and just sighed before checking out a book on werewolves and their history. She just nodded, before looking at the book thoroughly.

"It should be back promptly within the next two to three weeks, and if you should need it for any more time, come back and renew the check out on it. Without doing so will result in a howler, as well as a ban from the library upon return of the book," the librarian rattled on, her standard warning clear and remembered by all of the students of Hogwarts by their third time checking out books. I just nodded as I stuffed the book into my bag, instantly rewarding myself with a hiss from the librarian. I cringed before just putting the book under my arm.

"Well, erm... G'night ma'm," I mumbled before ducking out of the place, not wanting to be bitched out for 'harming the book beyond repair' and having to pay the outrageous fee for the 'replacement of the book, rehabilitation if possible, and damage fees'. I could hear her mumbling under her breath about disrespectful students and those who don't appreciate a fine book. I always wondered how Hermione and her weren't the best of friends by now.

Dragging my feet as I made my way back to Gryffindor tower, I saw a load of groups of students heading to either the Slytherin or Hufflepuff dorms. I snorted at how sneaky they thought they were. Curfew was in thirty minutes, and they were traveling in groups of three or four. It might have worked if it weren't for the fact that there were around eight groups of them walking in the same direction. There was probably a party going on in the Hufflepuff Commons, and I probably wouldn't have cared if it weren't for the fact that I saw Hermione and Ginny head in a much less populated corridor that I knew would lead directly to the Hufflepuff dorms.

I picked up my pace, and snuck up behind Hermione.

"Shouldn't you be doing the essay due Monday for Potions, dear?" I said sweetly to Hermione, mimicking the oh so annoying voice of Umbridge.

"Shouldn't you be doing the essay as well darling?" Hermione shot back in the same sickly sweet voice, and Ginny looked at both of you.

"Stop that before I am forced to get my wand out. Just the sound of that imbecile's voice makes me want to hex the both of you," Ginny said, and me and Hermione just laughed.

"Oh Gin, you know you love us," Hermione teased before pinching one of Ginny's cheeks. I instantly did the same with the other, and she just glared at us.

"Keep that up you two, and you'll get coal for Christmas," She tried to say as we pinched her cheeks and manipulated her face. But instead, it came out as, "Keep 'at up oo too, an' oo'll get coll 'or chrismas." She merely scowled, before swatting at our hands. I just clenched on tighter, while Hermione let go clutching her hand.

"Good grief Ginny, with that hand you could beat a bludger away," Hermione joked, and Ginny just grinned.

"You know, George once said that, and Mum yelled at him when he tried to test that theory with me," She said brightly, and I snorted.

"Yeah, I remember. She near damn ripped Fred a new one because George was claiming he was Fred and she was mad enough to believe him," I laughed out, remember how Fred was running around the house crying and cursing George as much as he could without saying anything too horrible. Ginny was only four, and the twins were eight.

"It took mum twenty minutes and our dad coming home to figure out who was who," Ginny said with a smirk, and I just shook my head.

"Dad came in wondering out loud why Mum was chasing Fred and what the bloody hell happened to the sitting room," I said, and Hermione just laughed.

"I don't know how Mrs. Weasley put up with all... What is it, eight of you?" Hermione said with a shake of her head.

"Nine," Me and Ginny automatically said, correcting her.

Hermione frowned.

"Nine?" She asked, and Ginny nodded.

"Bill, Charlie, Percy, George, Fred, Ron, Me, Nate, and Ginny," I said, counting off on my fingers. Hermione just kept shaking her head.

"I honestly do not know how she put up with you lot. Especially with George, Fred, you, and Nate in the house," She said, and Ginny's smirk just got bigger.

"The thing is, with Nate and Bells, she could tell them apart, which was a bit better. But for all four of them... Merlin, the noises coming from their rooms were horrific. Bangs, snaps, and everything else. I remember Mum snapping one time after they had another prank war and she stuck me and Bells together in a room and then Nate and Ron," She said, rolling her eyes. She had a whole room to herself before I moved in with her.

"It put an end to a great era," I said solemnly, and Ginny just sighed.

"Oh yes, the days when it was normal to see Nate and Fred running from Mum around the yard, and seeing Bells and George shake their heads while sitting together," Ginny said airily, and I just shook my head.

"Me and George had the brains, while Nate and Fred were just filled with impulses," I said sadly, and Ginny just nodded.

"Such a shame," She deadpanned before hooking my arm through hers. Hermione did the same on the other arm.

"Hey guys, Swan's got all the bitches," someone cat called from behind us, and I just nodded.

"I've got all the bitches apparently," I said to the two girls on both sides of my arms. They just smirked.  
>"But we're not Nate and Harry," Ginny said innocently.<p>

"Fuck off," I told her a smile, and Ginny just sighed.

"Oh, darling, if only I had a dollar for each time you told me that," She said with a hand over her heart.

"Whatever," I replied back with, before Hermione just shrugged.

"So, coming to the party Bells?" Hermione asked, and I frowned slightly.

"I don't know. I've got to finish this Wolfsbane essay for Potions, and need to go over material for the tutoring session I have on Wednesday, and then I need to study for the transfiguration practice exam we have on Friday for changing our own appearances, and you know hard that is. Last year James from Ravenclaw walked around with bushy eyebrows and hair coming out of his ears and nose for a week and-" I said in a rush, before Ginny covered my mouth. I licked it, and her face scrunched up, but she didn't move it.

"You're going to have fun tonight Bells-" Ginny started to say.

"-Before we take matters into our own hands," Hermione finished for her and I just stared at them.

"That's me and Nate's thing. Assholes," I said with a pout, and they just rolled their eyes before looking at me expectantly. I let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine, fine. I will got to a party like a teenager and drink my pumpkin juice knowing you guys spiked it with firewhiskey before frolicking off with some bloke to make out with. Happy now?" I sniffed out, and Hermione snorted.

"Very," she said.

"Now come on before we start calling you Hermione Jr.," Ginny pointed out, and Hermione just frowned.

"Because of all the studying or," I asked, and by this point Hermione had a scowl on her face.

"Mhmm," Ginny said, before Hermione swatted at her arm.

"What? It wasn't my idea!" Ginny exclaimed putting her arms up in the defense pose as much as she could with our arms linked. She wrinkled her nose. "Anyways, let's get going before McGonagall or someone else notices all of us out of our own House Commons and puts two and two together."

Rolling my eyes, I let the two drag me along, and I started noticing the crowd thinning out. Then I looked at the watch I got for my birthday, and realized we didn't have much time before curfew set.

"Shit," I whispered before hurrying them along. They were surprised by my sudden eagerness to get to the party, but when I showed them my wrist they instantly understood and began to near damn sprint. I hoped that no teacher would see us or stumble upon us, because if they did, we were so not getting to the party, and would probably get points deducted in addition to getting detention. We all but jumped more than a few steps at a time, and soon we found ourselves panting and catching our breath in front of the Hufflepuff entrance.

Hermione took the liberty of tapping out the barrels, and I hoped to Merlin we weren't going to be doused in vinegar after the rhythm sounded a bit off. But, the passageway appeared after a few seconds (I had a feeling it was thinking of whether or not to let us pass and decided it had better people to douse in foul liquids) and we hurried in.

The party was already in full swing. I could smell the booze mixing with pumpkin juice and sweat, and could tell from the slight chilly breeze that someone had been intelligent enough to open a window before smoking. It was a Saturday night, and students were obviously taking an advantage of it. The Hufflepuff commons were best for parties, seeing how the room was so cozy and big. It also was always dimly lighted, giving a feeling animosity for parties like these. That, and there were several corners and places around for couples to go off and be... Coupley. Yeah. That was a nice adjective for it.

I ended up sitting on a mock window sill. Instead of a view of the Hogwarts grounds or night sky, it instead was a mosaic of different colored flowers and vines. The room itself was very much in tune with nature, and the window wasn't any different. I carefully stroked a flower petal, and a blast of lavender and freesia hit me. It was a pleasant smell, reminding me of a valley. Or a sunset.

I watched Ron and Hermione dance, a little more than just tipsy. Ginny was over by the refreshments with what appeared to be a very angry Dean. With my eyebrow raised, I stood up and the last of the smell dissipated. Soon, the smell of alcohol was all I could really smell, and I wrinkled my nose. I worked my way over to Gin, letting myself be carried by the crowd over. I could hear little snippets as I got closer and closer to the couple.

"You don't get to dictate who can and can't be my friend Dean," Ginny hissed quietly to her boyfriend, and Dean gave out a dark chuckle.

"Ginny, you two aren't just friends and you damn well know it."

Dean's tone was... Powerful to say the least. Gin just blew her hair out of her face before biting her lip.

"I don't know what you're talking about," She said warily, and I could tell they had argued over this before. Dean just shook his head with a sad smile.

"You know, I thought we could work out into something a lot more than-" Dean said, before waving his hand around the two,"-this."

Ginny just shook her head.

"What are you trying to say?" She said quietly, picking up a cup from the table with a tight grip.

"Gin, you know I love you. I really do. But," Dean said, trailing off.

"But?" My little sister asked with a huff, and Dean just sighed. He kissed her one last time, before hugging her.

"Ginny... You know as well as I do that this isn't working out now," He said while looking down at his feet, and Ginny just gaped at him.

"You can not be breaking up with me because he helped me with my Astronomy homework," she practically squeaked, and Dean just let out a sigh of frustration.

"Ginny, why can't you understand that I'm not that thick? Merlin, I can see the looks you give him, and the look he gives you. He practically looks at you like you're... Like you're something to eat," Dean said, and I froze. Like something to eat. The words replayed themselves in my head, and I remembered when those words were thrown out at me. About Edward. I gritted my teeth, and then noticed people were starting to take note of the lovers quarrel. I could tell Ginny was noticing this too, and she just sighed.

"Dean, please, we can work thin-" She started to say, before Dean just shook his head.

"Ginny, I'm sorry. I really am. But I am not willing to take part of a relationship of three, not two. Take care, okay?"

And with that Dean took his cup and walked away, taking a huge chug of the thing before stumbling off towards a group of people talking on the far side of the room. Ginny looked down at her cup, before sitting down on a coach on the other side of the room. Sighing, I drank more of my pumpkin juice before setting it down and walking towards her. I sat down next to her without a word, listening to her sniffle and take in huge breaths. She leaned on me, and I just brushed her hair out of her face before holding her hand. The party went on around us, and no one took special care to bug us. After what seemed like ten minutes, Ginny sat up and sniffed one last time.

"He was right you know," I whispered softly, and Ginny just looked at me, hurt. I sighed.

"Sweetie, if there is another guy out there, and you've known Dean's feelings about how you interact with him, and haven't done anything to placate him or make sure he knows that you both know you're just friends... It wouldn't be fair to him," I explained slowly and softly, and Ginny just looked down at the floor.

"Is... There another guy?" I asked hesitantly, and Ginny just bit on her thumbnail.

"You know, sometimes I wonder why life is so complicated," Ginny whined, and I just shook my head with a laugh.

"You know Gin, I ask myself that a lot of the time," I said with a small smile. She got quiet, and it took another five minutes for her to speak.

"There is," she said, before quickly elaborating when she saw my confused face. "Another guy, that is."

I frowned slightly, and she just sighed before pulling her hair back from her face and letting it re-fall into place. She wiped at her nose slightly, shaking her head.

"He... He's different. Different from anyone I know, really," Ginny admitted, and I sighed.

"Gin, who is it?" I asked as kindly as I could, and she closed her eyes.

"Erm... You're not going to be too happy," She mumbled, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, threatening to jump out from it.

"Just tell me," I said, my tone a bit more emotional than I intended. She looked at me before frowning.

"Its.. Well, it's one of the new kids. Edward," She said, and it took all of my strength and self control not to go hunt down the leach and dismember him myself and watch his body burn. She continued to frown.

"Why do you look like Percy when Ron accidentally spilled tea on his girlfriends photo," Gin asked, and I just shook my head.

"Long story. Short version? Stay away from him Gin. Trust me on this one," I said quietly, and she cringed a bit.

"He told me you'd say that," She said with a small sigh, and I nearly ripped at my hair.

"Did he also tell you about me and him?" I shot back, and she smiled sadly.

"You lied to us you know," She said. I just scowled.

"I did it so I wouldn't have to revisit the pain. Something you'll learn in the long run," I said, pleading with my eyes to have her side with me on this. She just shook her head.

"Bells, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later," Ginny said, before standing up and walking away. I looked away, but not in time to miss the cold look she gave me. It wasn't until I saw a wet mark on the couch that I realized I was crying. Hastily wiping at my tears, I could only get back up and drink another cup of spiked pumpkin juice. And maybe another. And another.

It was around the time that they started playing a shots game that I began to lose track of the room. I almost didn't notice when the room became dead silent, when everyone came to a hilting stop at the fight that was breaking out before them. Fights were rare at Hogwarts; Especially a family spat.

"You're an idiot!" Alice was screaming, at Edward no less. My eyes got wide. I didn't remember seeing Eddie Weddie here ate the party. Maybe he was here to stick his throat down my sister's throat. I frowned at the thought. Too many uses of throat and the words with s. I giggled at myself. Throat. Use. Oh the irony.

"Alice, calm down," Edward said quietly, and Jasper looked like he was in pain.

"Fuck. Off. God, you're such an asshole!" Alice screeched, before stomping out of the room. Edward let out a groan before chasing after his adoptive sister, dragging Jasper along with him. Everyone just looked at each other, stunned at the oh so perfect Cullen siblings who were in the same House to be. Gasp. Arguing. I hiccuped, and giggled at myself. Soon enough, people began to start chatting, and dancing all over again. This time the music was softer, more tamed. I could tell that people were going to either start crashing in the dorms or just on the floor, or sneak back to their House if they knew they were sneaky enough. I, being a cocky asshole, went to go look for my brother.

Unfortunately, said brother was entangled with his girlfriend, and no way was I getting in between them. Or. That. Or. Whatever. I just wasn't interfering. Before looking for Hermione (my drunk mind hadn't caught on to the fact that if Nate was over there cuddling, then Hermione and Ron probably were too), I bumped into something. No. Someone.

"Bells, you do know that you should really start to bump into other people," Harry teased, and I just hiccuped again before breaking out into laughter. His face scrunched up a bit, and he nearly fell over when he got close enough to me to realize I reeked of alcohol.

"Good... Hermione and Ginny weren't joking about making you let loose," He mumbled to himself before tugging on my arm slightly and walking toward the exit. I just giggled.

"Are you going to be my knight in shining armor tonight?" I slurred, and Harry just blushed slightly.

"You're drunk," He stated, and I looked at the wall.

"And the sky is blue!" I pointed out. We were pointing out obvious things, right?

"... And I thought Nate was bad drunk," He chuckled to himself, and I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Wait, Natie got drunk? Oooh, mom is gonna kill him!" I sang, and Harry put a hand over my mouth.

"Shh, you're loud as can be," He whispered, and I gasped. I was loud.

"Sorry," I said in a loud whisper, before slapping my hand over my mouth. I mouthed the word this time, and Harry just looked amused. With a shake of his head, he lead me out of one of the closer exits to Gryffindor tower. We tip toed through the corridors, going through random doors and random stairways. I soon began to just let him pull me, and he just sighed.

"Bells, you're like dead weight," He said very quietly, and I groaned before picking up my feet. This seemed to satisfy him, and before I knew it, we were in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. I turned to stare at him for a while, and he just smiled at me slightly before going back to looking in the fire. Before I knew it, I started replaying everything that had happened that night. Or morning. Or. Party. There we go.

And then I started to cry.

"Oh God, I'm so stupid," I hiccuped out, and Harry looked at me in alarm.

"Please no, you can not be a weepy drunk," Harry said in panic, and I just shook my head.

"Ginny is mad at me because of that asshole and you know what I hate everything right now ok. He just came back into my life after leaving, and now has Ginny as his next play thing," I moaned out, my face in my hands. I could hear movement, and soon enough Harry was in front of me. He pried open my hands. He was crouching down, so that we were somewhat the same height.

"Is it the asshole?" He asked calmly, and I just nodded with a sniff.

"Ginny will get over it. She always does," Harry said softly, and I just shook my head.

"She and Dean broke up over it. And she wasn't even that heartbroken over it," I pointed out, and Harry just chewed on his cheek for a minute or two.

"Well, I mean... You warned her. Baby steps, right?" He said, and I nodded.

"I guess..." I said, chewing on my bottom lip. It was Harry's turn to nod.

"And you guys can talk it over something that doesn't have alcohol in it and when you guys aren't drunk," He suggested, and I sighed.

"Yeah..." I said lamely, before looking at him. Something about the lighting of the fireplace and the situation made me suck in a huge breath.

"You know, you're really pretty," I pointed out softly. He looked beautiful in the lighting. Something about the moonlight shimmering in from the windows above us and the fireplace giving a warm tone to it made his features stand out even more. Strong jaw, paired with soft and pretty lips. A nose that suited him, along with those piercing green almond eyes. They were soft at that moment though, almost like a melting pot of emerald. Could emeralds be melted?

Ignoring my thoughts, I just let my fingers trace up his neck, flutter by his jaw, to map his face. When I reached near his ear, he put his hand over mine.

"Bells..." He whispered hoarsely, and I just shushed him. Something was nagging at me to let him talk, to let him finish whatever he was saying. But, a bigger something was telling me not to let him. This moment was. Magical. Somewhere in my drunken mind, it made sense to lean in. He smelled like peppermints and alcohol and something that could only be described alike to the beach side. I could see the faint stubble growing on his jaw, the same stubble I had felt not so long ago.

Our lips met, and it all became so intense and real. He was warm, so much warmer than I was accustomed to. Or, much warmer than what I had been kissing in the last year. It wasn't just a peck on the lips or a soft pressuring motion that I was used to. No, this kiss had a rough edge to it, but was still soft enough to be gentle and sweet. His smell was so different than what I was used to invading my sense, but I appreciated it. Hell, I loved it. His hand left the one I used to cover his face to cradle my own, alone with his other hand.

Something about it felt so right. I pulled back to catch my breath, and could tell Harry had needed it too. He looked at me with a dreamy smile on his face, before kissing me on the cheek.

"Go sleep it off Bells," He mumbled, pulling strands of my hair behind my hair before getting up and leaving. I could hear him walk up the boys stairs, and put the tip of my fingertips on my lips. They tingled, and it wasn't the same kind of tingle I got from Edward. Edward's kisses left me breathless, left my lips tingling. But it wasn't until now that I realized that tingle wasn't anything special; it was from how cold his lips were. Because this tingling sure as hell didn't match that one.

I went upstairs, ignoring my fellow roommates, not noticing the pair of topaz eyes watching me as I collapsed onto my bed. My eyes fluttered open a few times, before they closed for good, sleep finally coming to whisk me away from reality.

* * *

><p>The light bright streamed in from whatever ungodly thing allowed it to. My eyes weren't even open yet, and I could tell it would be hell when they would. My head was pounding, and my center of gravity and sense of space was so off I just wanted to roll around and die. Wait. No. Not roll around. Stomach was so not ready for that. Yeah, I'll just skip the rolling and die.<p>

I could hear someone shuffling, and suddenly the light dimmed so much. I nearly cried from happiness.

"I have coffee, orange juice, a smoothie of a bunch of fruit in it, and some other thing that the house elf handed me before telling me to send me their love. Winky and Dobby I believe," Rosalie said quietly, and I moaned.

"Light. Talking. Sounds. Names. Too much," I groaned out, and Rosalie snorted.

"I don't know who told you to go out and get shit faced," She said, before handing me the juice. "Drink. Now."

I sat up as slow as I could without vomitting or whining from the pain in my head. I blindly took the orange juice and sipped it slowly before feeling something crumbly being shoved into my hand.

"Toast. It should help," Rosalie said, and I opened my eyes a tad bit. I regretted it quickly, but saw enough to see her shrug.

"If you say so," I mumbled before nibbling on the toast and sipping more juice. I was feeling more and more better as time went on.

"Some painkillers?" I asked, and Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Humans and their whining," She teased before handing me two capsules. I could have kneeled down and kissed the ground she walked on if I weren't afraid I would have keeled over and died.

"Thanks blood sucker," I said with the affection taking away from the insult. I opened my eyes now, and realized it didn't hurt as much.

Thirty more minutes went on with us making small talk before she finally asked me about last night. I frowned when I realized I was asking myself that exact same question.

"I remembering arguing with Ginny about Edward... That reminds me, help me disembowel him later." I said, and Rose just nodded with a smile. I smiled back, before continuing. "And then... Drinking. A lot of drinking. And then. Blank. Black. Bam."

Rosalie just snorted.

"Humans," She said flippantly, flipping her hair back. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh shut up and pass me some coffee," I mumbled.

* * *

><p>Hey guys. Sorry so much about the huge wait, I've been having like a million things due for my AP course as well as a bunch of exams for end of the quarter. That, and some personal and family issues. I'm back and a lot better, which is great. I'm hoping to get a lot more written and done for this story. I'm not going to make any more promises on the days I will be posting, but know that I haven't like. Died or anything. Remember to leave a bit of feedback please!<p>

xoxo

Lori


	7. Chapter 6

_**Chapter Six – Artificial Memories**_

Rosalie followed me as we made our way to lunch. I had woken up too late for breakfast, and Rosalie had snorted at the idea of even trying to drag me to the kitchens. She reminded me that I was a bit more than mildly hungover, and I gave in when she said started talking about Winky (If she caught me hungover, she'd just think of me as a hypocrite and go back to busying herself with drinking butterbeer to oblivion). We hung out in our dorm, the other girls busying themselves with the beauty called the outdoors and the bitch I called the sun. But, I felt good about staying in. Rosalie could have the curtains opened to her heart's content and act like... She were just a normal human again. Sure, once in a while she'd have to snap me out of being distracted by her sparkling (I had the excuse of being hungover and exhausted ; something else she snorted at).

I ran my hand through my hair, a habit I had of doing when I got bored or something was bugging me. I frowned, and wondered what was bugging me. The whole Ginny and Edward thing was bugging me, but whatever was bugging me at that moment was nagging at me. It was like something should be making me feel all nervous, but I just didn't remember. Which made it even more naggy. My brain is an asshole. I started to chew on my thumbnail, and Rosalie looked at me.

"Keep biting on your nails and they'll be nothing but short stubs," She pointed out, and I smiled sheepishly at her.

"What, going to try and give me a manicure?" I teased, and Rose just rolled her eyes.

"Shut up before I abandon you so Alice can come talk to you," Rose sneered, and I just laughed.

"Ro- Wait, you're serious?" I said, as she looked coolly at the Ravenclaw table. Rose turned back to me and nodded.

"I know you saw the fight between her and Edward. Something... She saw something. She won't tell me what though," Rosalie admitted, and I just frowned more. Shaking my head, I walked toward the Gryffindor table.

"You know, your family makes me want to move halfway across the planet," I said with a scowl, and Rosalie grinned.

"Darling, you tried that, and here we are," She smirked, and I just slapped her on the arm. I sat down at our table with Rose on my right, and Ron on my left. My eyebrows knitted together, and then I sighed.

"Ok, I didn't start stripping or anything embarrassing last night did I? Harry, pass me a roll please," I said as I poured some soup into a bowl. Nate just looked at me with pride, Ron choked on his mashed potatoes (how in the hell do you choke on mashed potatoes is beyond me), while Hermione let out a cackling string of laughter. Harry looked red, and Rosalie just snickered.

"You would be the type to be a stripper drunk," She said as she poured some potato thing on her plate with a small roll. I just shrugged.

"I didn't see any one's tucked into my knickers, so if I did, one of you guys will have to make sure assholes pay up for this show," I deadpanned as I looked down at my toast, and turned to see Harry fumbling with the salt shaker. I raised an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me I gave one of you a lap dance," I joked, before reaching for the shaker myself. Harry's hand brushed past mine, and then something... A memory tugged at me. I frowned while spreading grape jam on my toast, wondering what that was. All I saw was... Darkness with a fireplace glow. Kind of like how the Gryffindor Commons looked on a late night of studying. Shrugging it off, I scooped some mashed potatoes onto my plate before dusting it with a bit of salt.

"Fortunately, you didn't scar me for life by stripping last night." Nate said brightly, and I just rolled my eyes.

"Unfortunately, you did scar me for life by making out with Emma. Jesus, did you let the girl breathe at all?" I pointed out, and Nate shrugged.

"Well, I had a grand time and so did she. And she isn't dead, so yes, I did not manage to asphyxiate her. Your concern is appreciated," Nate drawled out while serving himself some pumpkin juice. He poured me one as well, and I nodded as I drank some. Rosalie picked at her food, tearing pieces off her bread while pretending to eat. She did pretty great, but I had the feeling that some people thought she might be anorexic. The only thing that kept them from thinking that is she doesn't look at all sickly.

"Just don't get her pregnant now," I smirked, and Nate looked a taken back.

"Isabella, such a crude mouth you have on you!" He said in a high pitched voice, and I could feel Rosalie shake next to me as she tried not to laugh. I just rolled my eyes at my brother's antics while eating my food. Everyone was pretty subdued on our side of the table, where a lot of the upperclassmen sat. I was guessing some people were still nursing some terrible hangovers, and was perfectly fine with the quiet. Harry and Rose talked about Quidditch (Rose took my position as chaser as soon as Harry saw her playing against me in a mini game of the sport), while Hermione and Ron were being all adorable and what not. I mentally noted to myself to buy them a matching him and her set of something, seeing how I was pretty sure it'd make Hermione blush and Ron all stuttery.

After a few more bites, I looked down at my food with a sigh. I couldn't even try to eat anymore. I wasn't too hungry to begin with, and the little food I did stomach down was beginning to do somersaults. That's when I chose to look around the table, and finally noticed the missing head full of red hair. Turning around slightly to look at the Ravenclaw table, I could see her and Alice laughing while she leaned back into Edward's chest. Closing my eyes, I willed myself to calm down and count to ten.

Rose must have noticed (or realized I finally noticed), because she stood up and pulled me up with her.

"Sorry guys, but Swan promised to help me out in my Potions work," Rosalie said sweetly, flashing everyone her award winning smiling. Everyone just nodded, not being surprised that I was helping someone in Potions. We were halfway out the door when Rose stiffened slightly.

"Hurry up," She mumbled as she tugged on my arm, and we ended up half walking half running on our way up to the tower. Rose started to swear halfway through, and dragged me on the by far longest route to Gryffindor tower I have ever taken to date. I couldn't even get a damn syllable out before she shushed me, and eventually stopped trying. We almost made it to the portrait hole, when I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

"Fuck," Rosalie cursed quietly, and I looked in the direction her icy glare was being pointed at before repeating what she had just said. Fuck indeed.

"I don't know whose being a bad influence on who anymore," Alice mused with a light tone, and I just pushed my hair out of my face. Rosalie looked at them with a bored expression.

"You're still not any more funny," She said with a shrug, and Alice shrugged.

"It wasn't my direct intention to be humorous Rosalie," the pixie sized vampire said, and I looked at her.

"What do you want," was all I said before Alice trained her eyes on me. She pursed her lips slightly, before stepping closer to me and studying me. Her light topaz eyes scanned my own blue ones, before frowning.

"Why are your eyes so queer?" She asked me, and I snorted.

"Why are your eyes so queer?" I shot back, and Alice just smiled.

"Mine actually resemble an actual eye color. Yours resemble a cross between the bluest lagoon and amethyst. You don't even wear glasses, and thus don't need contacts," Alice chastised, and Rosalie let out a hearty laugh.

"Oh, you idiot," She said, and Alice cocked her head to the side.

"So your eyes really are that color. Strange," She concluded, and I shrugged.

"My parents gave me some awesome genes," I replied, and Alice scowled.

"Ah yes, your parents. And just who were they to be exact? I know for a fact now that Charlie had no daughter," Alice snapped, and I took a step back.

"That is none of your business," I snapped right back at her, before Alice took another step toward me.

"Isabella Marie Swan, if that is even your name, you owe me that much!"

"She doesn't owe you anything" Rosalie hissed, and Alice swerved to look at her adoptive sister.

"Oh right, Bella's new best friend, coming to her rescue again. Tell me, are you still jealous of her mortality and humanity or are you just using her to make Edward even more up-" Alice ranted, before Rosalie slapped her. I had backed into the wall at that point, and watched Alice fumble backwards.

"Shut your mouth. Go back to your own tower, and cool down," Rose said bluntly, before taking my hand and leading me into the portrait hole. The Fat Lady looked at both of us a bit surprised, and Alice looked a bit embarrassed to have the whole scene seen by a painting. She huffed before scurrying off, and I sighed out in relief when the portrait corridor was shut off. I turned to Rosalie.

"How long have you know she's been trying to ambush me?" I said under my breath as we made our way through the Common room and up the stairs. Rosalie looked thoughtful for a moment or two, before mumbling out 'a day'.

I frowned at this, but let it go none the less. Opening the door with the sign "Seventh Year Girls", I flopped onto my bed, face down.

"Life sucks," I mumbled into my pillow, and Rosalie sighed.

"You know, you should just confront them and let them have it," She pointed out, and I sat up. I watched her flip through a Vogue issue from a few months before, before shrugging.

"I might have, but now Ginny's involved," I said weakly, and Rosalie looked up at me, straight in the eye, before looking back down.

"Little Ginevra isn't so little anymore Bells," was all Rosalie said before nearly slamming her magazine on her dresser and getting up. I watched her go through some of her things before finally mumbling something about Emmett being a bitch. I watched, a bit amused, before Rose turned to me.

"Anyways, like I was saying. She isn't so little anymore Bells. You may think you have to roll with the punches, but remember shes the one dealing them out," Rosalie said, before frowning.

"What's my photo doing on your dresser?" She asked, and I looked to over where she was looking.

"Rose, that's mine?" I said, and Rosalie looked lost for a split second before rushing to look at it more closely. She frowned, and picked it up. Holding it up to the light, I could see the tips of her mouth go lower and lower as seconds went by. She put it down, before looking at me.

"You never mentioned who your parents actually were," She said quietly, and I looked at the photo. I wondered why I hadn't, or how it hadn't come up in our conversations. I sighed.

"I... I didn't realize I hadn't spoke about them," I said truthfully, and Rosalie started pacing.

" You know... Me and Emmett would come to Great Britain every few decades. I would start to feel this sinking feeling in the U.S., a sort of like black cloud over me. It had happened a few times while I was human and moved from England, but it got worse when I was changed. We would always keep a low profile, playing the part of a newly married couple. We would always move after a few years, a decade if our neighbors weren't the prying kind," Rosalie started off saying, pacing in front of the curtained window. She stopped in her tracks before walking over to her trunk, and rummaging through it.

"Each time we would leave to go back and live with Carlisle and Esme, I would always feel a bit of sorrow in my heart from living as a human. A normal witch. I yearned to be able to grow old with Emmett, to have our wedding rings mold the wrinkles on our ring fingers. To have a child and be able to send them to Hogwarts to have the same experience I had. You have had," She explained to me as she continued to go through her things, and I could feel my heart start to break for Rose. I had never truly understood why she hated me so much, and now I realized why.

I had the opportunities she did. I could grow old with my significant other. I could have children, and send them to Hogwarts to watch them grow and blossom in their magic and watch them graduate and marry. I could have grandchildren. But Rosalie couldn't have any of this. But she fucking deserved it. She really did. She may seem cold on the outside, but you had to get close enough for her to start to warm up. When you did, she would light up like a star in the night sky, bright and beautiful. She looked older than I had ever seen her before at that moment, her eyes a dark brown color, almost black. She had bags under her eyes, and the look in her eyes. The look in her eyes made her seem a thousand years old. The look she had in them, the way she seemed lost and yet still grounded.

"I'm not saying I don't love Carlisle or Esme. I do. They're family, they're the closest people I have remotely close to parental figures to me. But... Sometimes, it's not enough when you see the teenager you first got to know when you moved in all grown up with baby in one arm and a husband on the other," She said after pausing, and I looked up at her. She shut the trunk with a soft bang, and the book she had in hand looked so tattered and worn, I was surprised it wasn't crumpling to dust in her fingers.

"And... One time, we were living in Tinsley. My hometown. And, I remember moving in and my heart wanting to burst from all the feelings I was going through. Being back home felt so right to me, so incredibly right. It was amazing to say the least. And then, when I thought it couldn't get any better... It did," Rosalie said with a smile, before looking at me.

"You have her eyes," She said softly, and I could only stare at her.

"There was once upon a time a little girl. She lived next door to me, and was the most gorgeous thing in the world. She liked chocolate chip cookies, but couldn't eat them fully cooked because she liked the doughy feeling when she bit into the cookie. Her favorite color was the color of the sunset, and she wanted to be an auror when she grew up. She had the bluest eyes that I had ever seen one day, then the most purplest eyes I could have ever imagined, and then an in between color that could never fail to make Emmett grin and ruffle her hair," Rosalie said quietly, sitting on my bed, the journal in hand. I looked at the journal, to see the crude and adorable stick figure drawings children did when they were five or six. I could see Rosalie's handwriting, starting off with 'once upon a time a little girl...' with journal entries following. The dates were nearly daily, and I immediately knew the book was filled with these story finishers.

"She was the sweetest little girl. The only thing that ever really filled that void in my heart that my own child would have occupied. Her own mother had died when she was three, and sometimes she would call me mommy. I will never forget the first time she did," Rose said, and I saw her eyes water. I had always wondered if vampire's could cry. I felt my own eyes tear up, watching her smile get smaller and smaller.

"I knew I couldn't be there for her forever. Emmett knew this too. But, we fell in love with her. She was like our own child, seeing how her father was head of the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures for the Ministry of Magic. He would always have to go on long term business trips to France or Belgium or some other country, and he would leave her with us. It was... Those ten years were the best of my life. We stayed for as long as we could, until we knew we couldn't stay any longer. We had aged ten years, to be supposedly twenty-eight, but we didn't look a day over eighteen in our neighbor's eyes.

"We came to her when she was seven, and left her when she was seventeen. She had just graduated from Hogwarts. It was one of the happiest days of my life, watching her graduate top of her class. She had a boyfriend, someone we knew she would marry and have children with. I remember sitting her down and explaining to her everything. I didn't sugarcoat anything, and I told her about me and Emmett's secret. She had been shocked, but she took it fairly well. It wasn't until I mentioned me and Em were leaving to American that she got upset. It broke my heart, watching her crumble like that. But, she understood why. She was so smart.

"We exchanged owls every week, from then on. I remember seeing her owl, James, every Friday evening, perched in my window sill, begging for water and a warm place to sleep for the night. And every Friday I would give him that, and more. She was as good of a daughter as I am to Esme. But then... Voldemort began to get antsy. He was striking an iron fist against both the Muggle and Wizarding world, and once the letters became scarcer and scarcer, I wasn't worried. She had been the head of her own squad of aurors, and even though I worried about her, she was intelligent. The best of the best.

"And then came news of her pregnancy. Oh, God, how scared I was for her at that point. I remember sending her a letter telling her she had better take leave from her work, and she had messaged me back telling me she was after six months. You wouldn't imagine how frightened I was at the chance of her having a miscarriage because of her job. But, she pulled through. Just like she always does," Rosalie said, her mouth finally pulling up into a lopsided grin. But, as soon as it showed, it disappeared.

"She had twins. A boy and a girl, born healthy and beautiful. I remember apparating to the nearest portkey station in Canada and taking one straight to Mungo's. Emmett and I were star struck with those children as soon as we saw them. I was a grandmother, really. We couldn't stay long, but she would keep us updated with photos and letters. It was a great year, that one. She was on maternal leave for a year and a half, while her husband took her place as head of her squad. Things got rough however, and she had to cut her maternal leave short. She left the children in the care of a family friend, she told me. But one night, she left them with a neighbor at their home.

"And then all hell broke loose. Voldemort was dead. At least a dozen people had been killed by him following up to his death. Death Eaters were being rounded up by the score, and trials were going on immediately to place them in Azkaban. All the while, we were celebrating the fall of the darkest wizard in nearly half a century. We were celebrating the victory of a young boy everyone came to know as the boy who lived. What I didn't know was that we were celebrating the lives of the fallen. Celebrating the life of my daughter.

"Her children had gone missing in the chaos. I remember Emmett having to take me away from our family, to be just us two. To grieve. To raise hell. And that I did. I knew I couldn't step in. The Ministry was involved in this one, and I didn't know how kindly they'd take to a pair of wand holding vampires. It wasn't until they were found, safe and sound, that I allowed myself to grieve in peace for my daughter. My beautiful Adrian," Rose said, finishing her story in a hushed tone, as thought she were scared that if she exerted any more energy into talking she'd break down into sobs. Tear tracks marked her cheeks, and I could feel myself turn cold inside.

"A-Adrian?" I whispered, not noticing my eyes had betrayed me and began to let the tears fall freely. She looked up at me with a sad smile.

"Adrian Pennyworth she grew up as, and became Adrian Swan when she married William Swan," Rosalie said softly, and I rose and began to pace as Rose had what seemed hours ago. I ended up in front of the window, the sky turning a dark color as night took place of day.

"You knew my mother." I said, more a statement than a question as I had intended for it to come out.

"I did. I met you maybe four times as an infant. You were always so... Happy," Rosalie murmured, before picking out a photo that had been paper clipped into her journal. She got up and wordlessly held it out to me. Without a word, I took and smiled unconsciously at the scene. My mother was holding me as I walked, and my father was trying to catch Nate as he began to run (well, really hobble quickly) around the room.

"I took that the last time I saw her. You," Rosalie said, and I handed it back to her. I looked at her, and laughed quietly.

"Would it be terrible if I called you grandma?" I joked weakly, and Rosalie relaxed instantly. She drew me in for a hug, and sighed. We stayed like that for what felt like forever, and she just kissed the top of my forehead.

"You do know I'm going to get more protective of you now," She said as she tucked the photo back into her journal, moving to put it away.

"You do know I'm going to get all the more sickly adorable with you now right," I replied, and Rosalie popped up from her trunk with a grin.

"Come on, I want Emmett to shit himself over this," She said with a light tone, and I faked being shocked.

"Grandma! What kind of language is that?" I exclaimed, and Rosalie looked at me.

"Granddaughter or best friend or whatever, I will throw my shoe at you," Rose pointed out, and I sighed exaggeratedly.

"You had better make up for this with awesome christmas presents and leaving me random cash under my pillow," I said flippantly before jumping on her back.

"Onward my great steed!" I half shouted, half sang, and Rosalie just grunted.

"God, you're going to be so obnoxious with this aren't you" Rose mumbled, and I laughed.

"Yep," I said with a grin, and she turned back to look at me.

"You laugh like a donkey being hit by a car," She said, and I just laughed even more.

"People say I laugh like my mother," I pointed out, and she just snickered.

"Your mom laughed like a donkey being hit by a car,"

Rosalie. One point. Me? None. Damn it.

* * *

><p>"Now, tomorrow we'll start out by immediately going headfirst into making Felix Felicis. I trust you all took my advice and left your potion kits in here and will continue to take my advice as to leaving them in here. I will hand out a complete ingredient list tomorrow, so you can check your stock as of now and make sure you buy whatever it is you need in Hogsmeade. Make sure to have at least three times as much suggested, so as to have extra in the event of you severely messing up. While I will be more lenient than normal on my grading policy, this is an advanced potions class, and I expect the potion is at the least seventy five percent correct. I will know if it is or not when I see it," Professor Slughorn said as he continued to write on the board several dates that were important for the huge potion brewing project. I copied them down neatly in my organizer, while Nate just looked on lazily. Most people couldn't understand how in the world Nate had passed all his courses, but he did fairly well in them. He just... Lacked motivation fifty percent of the time. Or. Make that seventy five.<p>

"Bells. Psst," Nate whispered to me, and I sighed.

"You'll see my notes later, shut up. Class isn't over yet," I whispered back before plucking him on the ear, and taking my attention back to the front.

"-And for those of you struggling, Potions Club is meeting once a week on Thursday evenings from eight pm to ten pm. Special exceptions will be made in the event that you can't do it on Thursdays, and if you need help even after ten. Anyhow, it's a beautiful Fall day out. Class is dismissed early," Slughorn said with a grin, before beckoning me to see him.

"Star pupil much," Nate teased, and I just grinned.

"You're just jealous I've got the mad potion skills," I teased back, and Nate looked hurt.

"I am so jealous. Raging mad with jealousy," He deadpanned, before grinning and adding, "At least I'm the star pupil next to Neville in Herbology."

I just smacked him upside the head before pushing him out the door and going up to the front of the class. Slughorn was talking to Harry, and was patting him on the back when I got into hearing range of them.

"-my boy, amazing skills I'm sure your mother managed to pass on to you. Anyways, I'll be seeing you for the Halloween Party, correct?" Slughorn asked, and Harry just nodded.

"I'll be there sir," He said before Slughorn clapped his hands. Harry left with a small smile and nod at me, and I just smiled back. After he had gone out of the door, I looked back at my potions professor.

"You wanted to see me sir?" I asked, and he sat down on a stool.

"Sit my dear," Slughorn said, waving his head at the many stools around the table. I sat down tentatively, and he just laughed.

"Miss Swan, you're not in any trouble. I just wanted to commend you on your outstanding work in your potions classes. Unknown to you, I was the one who graded all of your summer Potions work, and I was blown away by your work. Even with Professor Snape you were exceptional. Now, the school yearly gives out an award to the best potioneer in a student's seventh year when they have shown outstanding abilities in the field. I and Professor Snape recommended you, and I was just giving you the good news," Professor Slughorn said, beaming. I couldn't help but be surprised. Awards weren't given often at Hogwarts, and this blew me away.

"Now, now, close your mouth before a fly flies in," Slughorn teased, and I instantly closed it.

"W-Well thank you sir," was all I could stammer out. Slughorn just grinned.

"Also, Professor McGonagall asked me to notify you of a meeting you will have with her on Friday this week. Nothing bad of course, I assume it's to congratulate you as your Head of House as well as the Deputy Headmistress. And, as you heard with Mr. Potter, I am having a Halloween party following the feast. You will be escorted back to your House if the party exceeds curfew, and you are allowed one guest. You will get a letter later on in the week of course, but I wanted to tell you before hand," Professor Slughorn explained, and I nodded. For some reason, Professor Slughorn made me feel nervous a lot of the time. I bet it was from how high of a bar he set for me in the class, but I knew I secretly enjoyed it.

"Now, run along. The weather is really nice and I wouldn't want to keep you down here in these dark old dungeons," Slughorn said with a wink, before moving to go do some paperwork or something in his office.

"Thank you Professor. Have a nice day," I said shortly before grabbing my bag. I walked out the door, and realized. I was being awarded with something recognizing my accomplishments in Potions. I could feel myself start to tear up, and a huge grin broke out on my face. It wasn't until I started walking up the steps that I noticed Harry waiting for me. He frowned when he saw me.

"Are you crying?" He asked, obviously confused. I just continued to grin.

"Slughorn just told me I'm being award the Exceptional Potioneer award!" I said quickly, and Harry broke out into a grin.

"Really?" He asked, and I nodded.

"That's great Bells!" He said before engulfing me in a hug and picking me up off the ground. I started laughing while he twirled me around, and could feel a few tears escape. I hung on as he continued to swing me around, before he slowed done. He stopped and soon his face was looking down at my own.

"Congrats Bells," He said softly, and I smiled.

"Thanks Harry," I said, and he looked at me. His smile faded slowly.

"Bells, what do you remember from last night?" He asked, and I frowned.

"Well... Drinking. A lot. Like a dipshit," I said, and Harry looked at the wall behind me. He looked like he was deep in thought, and he sighed.

"How'd you get back to the dorms?" He asked, and I frowned.

"I feel like I tried to bring up my ninja skills like I did that one time me, Nate, and you got high," I said slowly, and Harry nodded.

"What else?" He asked, and my frown deepened.

"Ok... I remember you. Yeah, me and you walking to the dorm. I remember thinking how the moonlight made the castle look beautiful. And then..." I said, my words drifting off, remembering snippets here and there. Then I remembered.

Me calling him pretty. The totally different touches of warmth against warmth, not the usual warmth against cold I had grown accustomed to last year. The way he leaned in to me and deepened the kiss, unlike the living statue Edward had been when I kissed him. How much I loved it. How much I wanted to keep the fairytale lasting.

But that's what I didn't remember while drunk. Fairytales aren't real. As much as I wished they could be, they weren't. For me at least. If they were, everything would be so much more different. Not like they are now, with three teenagers responsible for the fate of the world. I wanted so badly to tell him I remembered, to tell him just how much I cared for him. To just kiss him on the lips like any other normal seventeen year old girl would be able to. But no. Because I'm not a normal seventeen year old girl. There was a reason I didn't date much while at Hogwarts. The fact that I could get so attached to someone scared the hell out of me. The fact that they could get hurt because of me made it all the more worse. With Edward I didn't have that problem. The asshole is made of like freaking diamonds. But Harry.

Harry. I closed my eyes shut for a few seconds, and could see our friendship through the years. And that's when I realized. It might have always, really, have been him. I didn't want to ruin what we had. I was an idiot, and still a bit hung up on Edward. The fact that my little sister was dating said ex made thing's all the more complicated made it even worse. And then just... Everything. So many reason's I shouldn't date Harry. So many reason's he shouldn't date me. He deserved a lot more than me, really. Someone who was honest to their loved ones, someone who was prettier than me. Someone who could actually match up to him, somehow, in how amazing he was.

I wish it could have been like in the books or movies, where the heroin kisses the guy she loves before walking out of his life, saving him from whatever outer force there was. Something that she knew, in her heart, he would understand. Something she knew, in her heart, that would end eventually and she'll be reunited with him again. She would always get the guy in the end. I didn't have high hopes for that kind of ending though. Maybe my thoughts sounded scattered, but all in all. I didn't want to mess anything up with him. I didn't want to lose him. Figuratively and literally.

Instead of doing what my instincts were telling me to do, I just cocked my head to the side.

"I went to my dorm. Or. Maybe I crawled there. I was so shit faced," I said with a forced sheepish smile, and Harry looked at me for a few seconds before slightly smiling and laughing softly.

"Lay off the booze Swan," He said before kissing me on the cheek. "Congrats, again."

I watched him walk away, and sighed to myself. Leaning against the wall, I slowly let myself slide down. The floor felt cold to my lower half, and the fact that I was wearing a skirt didn't help. Positioning myself in a more comfortable sitting position, I bewitched a couple of pieces of papers to fold into birds and fly around me.

At least I still have you, I thought to myself about the birds, before they crashed into the wall.

* * *

><p>Huge walk of shame. But, still, here's the new chapter! I finally got some time today after Black Friday shopping to get some work done on this and finish it while my family members slept (My mother thought it'd be great to wake us up at 5 30 and shove us in the car for an hour in the cold). It's still early October though in this story, although I'm hoping to get it in sync by either Christimas  New Years or at the latest Valentines Day. Thanks for reading guys, and remember to leave some feedback!

Lorri

P.S - I keep forgetting to do this I think, but guess what. I'm not a millionaire like the lovely J.K. Rowling for owning the Harry Potter series, nor do I have a bunch of teenage girls who got into reading because of my book, aka Twilight like Stephanie Meyer.


	8. Chapter 7

_**Chapter Seven - Everything Ties Together in the End**_

Carefully measuring out the honey for the potion, I looked over at Nate, whose tongue was sticking out of his mouth as he read the instructions Slughorn had give us on the board. I had copied them down into my own notebook, so I could just read them as I looked down at the cauldron without having to strain my neck from going back and forth.

"Merlin, this is going to take ages," Nate groaned when he finally began to pick up a knife, trying to cut up the dandelion roots to the standard eighths of an inch necessary for the potion. Trying being the key word. I just rolled my eyes.

"I have showed you a million times how to do it the most efficiently," I mumbled as I gently took some lacewing flies and sprinkled them evenly through the potion. I mentally noted that I had to stew this portion of the potion for twenty one days for full potency, and I'd have to add in the honey as soon as the lacewing flies reached the bottom. I had already added the dandelion roots, and long since prepared my other ingredients to add in.

"Iz, you suck," Nate said as he nearly cut himself with his knife. I looked over at him, and almost laughed at the way he was cutting up his roots. He looked like a five year old being given a plastic knife trying to cut at a carrot. Shaking my head with a laugh, I looked down at my potion. It should take a good minute for the flies to reach the bottom since the potion had long thickened, and knew I could cut his roots to size in thirty seconds. Quickly taking his cutting board and knife, I carefully cut the roots to size, before shoving them back toward him.

"You should always get your stuff together before starting the potion you idiot" I said, reminding my twin brother, yet again, as he fretted to get the roots in the cauldron before the moondew and water concoction came to a full boil. I looked back over at my potion and deftly poured the honey in, the direction of it going in a full clockwise circle before gently evening it out over the potions surface with a flick of my wrist.

"You know I'm dreadful at potion making," Nate pointed out as he began to stir his potion in a clockwise motion. Sighing, I stopped his hand and directed it in a counter clockwise circle. He grinned sheepishly.

"Good thing you're my partner, right?" He said with a bat of his eyes, and I laughed.

"Oh Natie. What would you do without me?" I said sweetly as I added a quarter of a cup of the standard ingredients into the potion. Bringing out my wand, I quickly covered the cauldron and lowered the fire to a low-medium setting.

"Die," Nate deadpanned as he wrestled with stirring his potion and opening his lacewing flies jar. Handing him my already opened one, he just winked as he began to finally get himself together.

"Good thing I'm around then," I said before cleaning up my area. Packing away my knives, I sneaked a peek at Harry and Ron working together. I smiled slightly when I realized they were both bickering over how many times the other had stirred their potion and how many times they were supposed to, and laughed when I realized Ron's potion was taking on a sky blue hue.

"Ron, you're going to want to start over, your potions all wrong," I said with a snicker, and Ron looked at his potion before swearing under his breath, immediately scanning the board for tips to correct the potion. Harry just grinned.

"Your brother owes me five galleons," Harry called out to me, and I nodded.

"I'll make sure he coerces Nate into giving him money," I said, and Ron just glared at me as Harry made his way to the potion storage closet.

"He owes me money from a bet from fifth year," I pointed out, and Ron looked even more lost.

"No way in hell am I still paying you back for that, you asshat," Nate said as he topped his own potion, and I just rolled my eyes.

"It's not my fault you thought Ron would have the balls to ask Hermione out back then," I commented as I grabbed my bag. Ron's ears turned a pink reddish color, and he just glared at us.

"You're both so damn embarrassing," Ron swore under his breath, and I just gasped.

"Ronald! I am not embarrassing. Nate is," I said with shock, and Ron just shook his head.

"You two," was all he said before pointing his wand to his cauldron and muttering an incantation to empty it. He began to start all over again with his potion, and I felt someone sneak up behind me. I was a bit too slow to turn though, and suddenly a pair of hands covered my eyes. I stiffened.

"Mate, be careful. Remember when McLaggen did that our fourth year? Bells slammed her elbow into his erm... Well, I don't believe he'll be able to have any children now," Nate snorted out, and I just frowned. It was a guy, I could tell that much. The smell of the ocean and peppermints instantly alerted me to who it was.

I stepped forward and tried to turn, his smell making me feel a bit dizzy from remembering that night when I was piss drunk and all over him. Unfortunately, I forgot about the hot cauldron and tabletop in front of me. Suddenly a fiery hot pain bit my arm, no pun intended from my previous incidences with vampires, and I shrieked. Pulling my arm back from the blazing counter top, I quickly stepped back, and was met with Harry. I was guessing the force of it made me stumble to the side, seeing how I ended up tripping and landed right on the ground. A small yelp left my mouth as the room became a blur, and my head hit something hard. My eyes screwed themselves shut, and I couldn't help but curl in on myself as pain radiated through my body from the burn and collision.

I was really hating all these coincidences happening, was my last thought before all the yelling and shouting dissipated from my mind, and everything turned black.

* * *

><p>"She'll be fine. She's currently drifting in and out of consciousness Albus."<p>

"How is the burn?"

"-But was completely healed Minerva. Any more concer-"

"-Way to sedate her-"

"No – A sleeping drought raised the hazard of her asphyxiating on it, so we have her on a dri - minds way of handling the fall and-"

"-E here until she wakes up, and a day after I'm expecting."

"Correct. Unless more complications -"

I silently groaned to myself. The broken conversations had wormed their way into my dreams, and making things less fun, more sharp. I didn't want sharpness. I wanted things to be fluffy and soft, for everything to be warm and relaxing. They had been going on for what seemed like hours. But my dreams went on for what seemed like days.

They were pleasant, and never of more than one thing. Sometimes I saw me and Nate playing as kids, and others I saw my mum and Rosalie playing in the backyard, or gardening. The dreams were scattered visions of what have been and what could have been. I saw little kids with black hair and violet eyes. I saw my parents wedding. I saw my mum waving at the camera at her Hogwarts graduation, my dad snaking an arm around her while Rose watched amused. I saw me and Nate cleaning the hospital wing with elbow grease instead of magic our fourth year when Filch caught us trying to make an aging potion for Fred and George. I watched as me and Nate went with Ron and Hermione for our first Hogsmeade visit, with me clinging on to my purse which Harry was latched to so we wouldn't lose him in the crowd under his invisibility cloak.

All these memories passed me by, and I couldn't help but smile. And then I saw an eleven year old me and ten year old Ginny jumping on our beds when I went back home for the summer after my first year at Hogwarts. I saw us making sand castles on the shores of a beach home Aunt Muriel lent us one year. Everything seemed so bittersweet at that moment.

I somehow knew the options narrowed down to two for our relationship. She'd resent me if the time came where Edward left her, or she'd be ripped right out of my life if he didn't and changed her. That's when the thought of losing Ginny came to mind. Not just losing her as a sister, but as a person. My heart felt ice cold at the thought of it. She'd hide who she was from us, for as long as she could before she 'offed' herself. Mum and Dad would be devastated. Everyone would be. I would be.

Shaking my head, I tossed and turn, trying to get back to the happier things. Running around as a kid. First time on a broomstick. The little things that went a long way. I wish I could have stayed longer, but that's when I heard yelling. It started getting louder and louder, pounding the sharp breaks of syllables into my head. Some substantial time had gone without any of the voices, and I liked it this way. It was nice and warm wherever I was, and it was comfy. Cozy. But, obviously, I wasn't allowed to be happy for too long at any moment in my life, because it was at that point something heavy crashed into the floor or wall, creating a sound alike to a gun being shot.

It tingled and prickled for a few seconds, before the feeling slowly dissipated. But, the voices were louder now. My head began to throb again, and my hands immediately flew up to it, trying to alleviate some of the pain. That's when I felt something prick my wrist, and I screamed. I sat straight up, and my hand searched blindly for the wand that wasn't there. My eyes had opened wide in the process, to only shut and screw up from the sudden burst of lights and colours everywhere.

"You're finally up," I heard Rosalie murmur, and sat up in bed with my eyes closed. They stung a bit from the sudden assault of bright light, and I could feel tears starting to well up.

"Isabella?"

I cocked my head to the side to the sound of Carlisle's voice, and realized he had been in the prior conversations I had heard go on. Then I realized I must have been in the hospital wing; the sheets had the same generic feeling all the beds that I had been in... And trust me to know the feeling of at least half of them after all the shenanigans me, Nate, Harry, Ron, and Hermione got into.

"Y-yes?" I asked, my throat catching on the first letter. I frowned slightly at how strange it felt to be talking, my throat feeling dry and raspy. I felt someone gently push a glass of water into my hand, and I took a tentative sip. Suddenly, my throat cried out for more, and I gulped more and more down. I heard a small chuckle.

"Bells, there's still more. That's not the last glass of water at Hogwarts," Emmett teased, and I opened my eyes slowly. Blinking rapidly, I saw the half of the Cullen family, in the middle of doing different things. But, they all were looking right at me. The only one who wasn't was Rosalie, who looked absorbed in her Witches Weekly magazine. Carlisle had a needle in hand with a watery light blue looking substance, and my fingertips ghosted over where he had just pricked me. There was no blood, so I reasoned to myself that it hadn't gone too deep.

"You fell and nearly split your head in half," Rosalie said, turning a page delicately with her index finger before looking up at me. "Gave Potter and Nate a scare, that's for sure."

I groaned inwardly, and sighed. Carlisle gingerly took a step near me, bringing out a stethoscope and a flashlight. I raised an eyebrow at the muggle medical objects, and he just sighed.

"I'm not exactly up to par with many healing spells yet," Carlisle explained as he tipped my chin up with his finger. He waved the flashlight in front of me, the light slowly becoming more and more unbearable as the seconds ticked by. Just when I thought my eyes were going to explode, he clicked it off.

"Amazing it works on school grounds. Professor Flitwick did a fine job of enchanting the thing," Rosalie commented, and I turned to her, my eyes blinking rapidly from the assault they had been put through.

"You look pissed," I mumbled before taking a sip of water. Rosalie just grinned maniacally. It was one of those grins you plastered on, the kind that made someone know you wanted to rip their throat out. I was about to ask her what was wrong when Carlisle began to ask me questions.

"State your name and date of birth, year and house. State your current surroundings, and then name at least three of us in the room," Carlisle rattled off, and I nodded. The pounding in my head was beginning to cease, but it was still disorienting and I was struggling to remember word for word what Carlisle had asked me.

"Isabella Marie Swan, born September 13th, seventh year in Gryffindor. Hospital Wing. Carlisle Cullen, Rosalie Cullen, and Emmett Cullen," I said carefully, my head not appreciative of me talking. The pounding was a dull thud in the back of my head at this point. It wouldn't have been too bad if it hadn't been continuous.

"Good." Carlisle nodded, and looked down at his wrist for the time. "Well, you've been in and out of consciousness for three days. We would have administered a sleeping drought to alleviate you of that orally, but we couldn't run the risk of you asphyxiating on it. Madam Pomfrey and me talked, so you were kept on an IV with a diluted version of the potion. Not as potent as it would have been in its original form, but it kept you from coming in and out as often as you had been. You fractured your skull when you hit the stone flooring of Professor Slughorn's classroom, and the burn you acquired on your right arm wasn't mild either. We managed to mend your the fracture quickly, and Madam Pomfrey took care of your arm so it wouldn't scar. The only issue we had was brain damage, which is evidently isn't a huge concern anymore. I expect your having discomfort in your head, so we'll just give you a numbing potion for that. Questions?"

I looked down at my arm, and he was right. There was a patch of skin that was pinker than the rest, but I could tell it was just irritated and more likely just reacting like an infant's skin would to new material. I frowned.

"Three days?" I asked, and Carlisle nodded.

"Luckily it was Friday, so you've only really missed one school day Bella," Carlisle told me before disappearing out of sight. I blinked, and suddenly, he was back with a cup filled almost to the brim with a purple coloured brew of what I could only guess as the numbing potion he had talked about. Stupid vampire speed.

"And here's the potion I wa-" Carlisle started to say, before Rosalie got up and took it from him. She shook it slightly, and looked at it a bit confused.

"Carlisle, this isn't a pure numbing potion," Rosalie said with hesitation, and I frowned. Squinting my eyes, I nodded. The texture was all wrong for one ; it was thinner than what it should have been, and was a lot less sluggish than the original potion had been.

"It's not... But wha-" I started to say, before I had a faint idea of what it was.

"Rose, what's the only substance that is odorless and colourless that you can put into drinks?" I said, and she frowned before grimacing.

"Carlisle, who made this?" Rose inquired, putting the potion in a trash bin before making her way to the office space. Carlisle shook his head.

"I started it, but Alice was the one who watched it brew and finished it," He said with a frown, and Rosalie just growled under her breath before storming into the office. Emmett looked a bit worried, and I did too.

"Alice, you spineless bitch, get out here!" Rosalie yelled, and you could hear a few things topple over and one or two heavy objects get thrown around. Just when Emmett was going to go check what was going on, Rosalie came out dragging Alice by the ear. Jasper and Edward followed soon after.

"You're a cheater," Alice whined, and Rosalie just pulled on her ear harder.

"And you're a bitch," Rosalie stated, and I could see Esme sigh.

"Girls, behave. Please," She said softly, and Rosalie shook her head.

"No. Your son and daughter over here have been bothering Bella. Your daughter just tried to trick her into answering any questions she had for her," Rose gritted out, and Alice shrugged.

"I was curious, and have been trying to talk to Bella for weeks. She hasn't responded to anything I ask," She said carefully, fixing her clothing. I snorted.

"I don't think poisoning me into giving you information would have done any good," I mumbled, and Alice just looked at me, her topaz eyes wide.

"Oh hush Bella, I didn't put enough in there for you to die. Just enough for ten minutes of you being truthful for once," She said pointedly, and I shook my head.

"Mixing veritaserum with the ingredients in that potion would have made me ill within five minutes of drinking it," I said with a huff, and she shrugged.

"You're in a hospital wing, you would have been alright," She commented, and Esme looked at her horrified.

"Alice Cullen, apologize to Bella at this instant! Honestly, I don't know what has come over you lately," She gasped out, and Alice looked pained.

"I lost my best friend, what else am I supposed to do?" Alice cried out, before shutting her mouth and putting a hand over it.

"I... I've got to go," The pixie sized vampire whispered, before running out at slightly faster than human speed. Jasper rubbed his temple.

"Sorry Carlisle, I should go after her," he said, and Carlisle just nodded. He was halfway out the door when he paused, and turned to look back at me.

"Bella... I. I'm sorry for what happened on your birthday an-" Jasper apologized, and I cut him off.

"Jasper, it's alright. I understand," I said with a small half smile, and he nodded. He looked like he wanted to say something else, and I looked at the door.

"So... She... Misses me?" I said quietly, and Jasper looked relieved that he didn't have to say anything that may have gone against what his wife's wishes were.

"She does. You were her best friend Bella... Things like that just don't go away... Alice is. Well. Alice. She doesn't know the exact best way to handle things, but in the end.. She really does mean well," Jasper said quietly looking at the ground, before turning to the door.

"Just talk to her," He said with his back to me, and finally walked out in hopes of finding his mate. I looked over at Rosalie, who looked a bit shocked. She quickly shook her head, before sighing.

"Bells, you're going to have to wait a few hours for another potion," She said, and I shrugged.

"Just let me sleep. The pain will probably get less intense by itself in that time frame," I pointed out, and Carlisle smiled slightly.

"If that's what you want. I... Apologize for that Bella," Carlisle said, and I just nodded.

"It's.. Alright. No harm done," I said truthfully, and Carlisle nodded before walking back into his office, Esme following suit after smiling at me. I looked down at my hands, which had tangled together. My fingers began to fidget, and it was silent for a moment or two, before Edward broke the silence.

"Well.. I've got to go, I was supposed to meet Gin ten minutes ago," He said quietly, and walked out. I glared at his retreating figure, before looking over at Rosalie. She sighed.

"You really should sleep you know," She said softly, and I nodded. My eyes had already begun to droop against my will, and I could feel my head screaming at me to get some more rest. I leaned back into the pillows, and closed my eyes.

"Good night Bells," I heard Rosalie whisper into my ear before kissing my forehead, and soon enough, as soon as I heard a door close in the distance, I was out like a match.

* * *

><p>My head was feeling ten times better, but I wouldn't risk opening my eyes to only have the pain come back in full force. It was comfortable, laying in the bed with the covers bunched up around me. Warm. Safe. I heard the door open, but didn't give it much mind. Light footsteps sounded throughout the room, before I could hear someone pull up a chair next to my bed and sit down.<p>

"You know... I always wondered if we had done the right thing," Alice whispered, just as I felt her cool hands gently surround my warm ones.

"I always thought you were the one for Edward. And I think that's why I let myself get close to you. There was no risk of having to cut off all ties and never see you again... And then have you die. Like all humans eventually do," Alice continued on, rubbing her thumb over my hand.

"I never dreamed we would have found you here. But, you continue to surprise me. Surprise all of us. See, I know all about you now. Your past. The library proved to be a helpful place after all... Oh, Bells, why didn't you tell us? I know Rosalie doesn't know. She would have been raised hell with you by now," Alice mused softly, and I knew she knew about me and the prophecy. Sneaky vampire.

"I... I know it's your own battle to fight. It just strikes me curious that you didn't tell any of us. Didn't ask for help. If Rose didn't know Dumbledore, we never would have found you again. But then again... Edward never would have found Ginny," She said, her tone turning bitter towards the end.

"She's not you, I'll give you that. But, she reminds me of you. So much. Maybe it's because you're sisters... But, there's something more. I don't know what. Edward sees it too. I know you're upset over them. I don't like it myself. It's almost like biting into an apple that isn't quite ripe enough. Bittersweet. God, I just miss you Bella. I miss having a fashionably challenged best friend. I miss us... Also, darling, I'm a vampire. I can tell when a human is in deep sleep, and not just half awake half asleep like you are. Might as well open your eyes, it's quite dark in here," Alice said, and my eyes fluttered open. She was right. It was night time. Sometime past midnight I bet. I looked at her, and she leaned in slightly.

"You know, your eyes are still the same, even in a different colour. Astounding how they are," Alice mused to herself as she studied me.

"Alice..." I said, and she just shook her head.

"Let me talk a bit more. I know I've been horrid to you, I just... I guess I was taking out all my anger from you and Edward on you," She said with a sigh, and I looked at her, confused. She must have picked up on it, and looked out the window.

"You know, the Forbidden Forest is a... Dark, morose area. But, like the world, there are pockets of good in it. Your world is intriguing... But dark too. I'll keep your little secret Bells, but like the Forbidden Forest, things are bound to come spilling out of it's confines eventually," She said, and I couldn't help but appreciate how poetic she like to phrase things. I smiled sadly.

"Thank you," I said, and she just smiled back before getting up. Her hells made a soft click on the stone floor, and she was about to close the door when I spoke up.

"Alice, meet me Thursday outside by the lake to do some homework," I said as loud as I dared in the silent room, and the soft giggle I heard was a confirmation of our little study date. Turning to lie on my side, I looked out the window, and down at my watch.

Little clouds rolled in over the full moon, and I could only smile as I looked at it. I couldn't wait for it to start to snow here at Hogwarts. The snow blanketed everything, including the castle. It was a beautiful sight. Sticking my tongue out slightly, I bit down on it gently as I wondered what date it was. After some calculation, I realized it was the 24th of October. Next week would be Halloween, and then it would be November. It normally started to snow around mid-November, and I grinned at the thought of it snowing in as little as two weeks.

Closing my eyes, I also remembered I missed the meeting with McGonagall. Sighing, I knew she'd probably come see me tomorrow or reschedule it for this Friday to talk about whatever it was she wanted. And then the weekend would come, with the second Hogsmeade visit of the year happening on Saturday. And then on Monday, the Halloween Feast, with Slughorns party following soon after. And if any of the rumors were true, the Weird Sisters were going to be in attendance and playing. This week sounded like it was going to be a good one, I thought to myself as I watched the stars twinkle in the night sky.

* * *

><p>I woke up to see Professor McGonagall sitting on a stool next to my bed, and she looked at me with an excited expression.<p>

"Good to see you awake Miss Swan. Now, we were supposed to visit last Friday, but your accident made that impossible... Now, I trust Professor Slughorn told you of the award?" McGonagall said in her usual clipped tone, and I nodded.

"Good morning Professor. Yes, he did. Thank you, by the way. It's an honor," I told her, and she merely nodded.

"You earned it. Anyhow, now that we have that out of the way. St. Mungo's and Hogwarts have always worked together by means of our students who wish to go on to be healers. They have agreed to extend to you a guaranteed internship with pay upon your graduation from here, provided you have get all O's in your N.E.W.T exams. And- Are you all right Isabella?" McGonagall said, raising an eyebrow.

I touched my cheek, and felt a few tears stream down. I was going to reply, but my throat closed up and it come out as a strangled crying sound. I sniffed, and cleared my throat.

"I.. I just. Can't believe it?" I said, sniffing and wiping at my tears with my wrists. McGonagall instantly softened, and put her hand on my shoulder.

"Bella, you've earned it. The only person in your class that has done academically better than you is Miss Granger. She was also extended an invitation by the Ministry of Magic to intern in any office of her choice other than the Department of Mysteries after graduation," She said, and I looked up.

"I... Wow. Thank you Professor. For the news. And. Everything really," I sputtered out, and McGonagall just smiled.

"Well, I'll be seeing you in class tomorrow Miss Swan. You'll be discharged from here after classes end for the day. Professor Cullen told me to tell you since he was sure you'd get defensive and want to check out as soon as possible," my Transfiguration teacher told me, and I glared at the floor.

"He's right. Professor, I feel ten times better!" I exclaimed as I made my way to get out of bed, and she glared at me.

"Isabella, stay in that bed or I'll give you detention. You're still recovering from your spill, and unfortunately, it's the kind of injury that magic can't heal. You know brain injuries are as difficult to treat in the wizarding world as they are in the muggle world," Professor McGonagall said, her tone telling me she wasn't playing around. I sighed, and moved the blankets around so I was as I had been.

"See you tomorrow ma'm," I mumbled, and she beamed.

"Exactly. Have a good day Isabella," McGonagall said, before getting up and leaving. I mumbled under my breath about how ridiculous it was that I was staying in bed when I felt perfectly fine. It wasn't until I saw the tray of food on a table next to me that I realized just how I wasn't quite ready to walk up and down the whole castle when I near damn had to crawl back to bed with the tray in hand. My head had started pounding as soon as I had gotten up to start to walk, and I gritted my teeth as I laid back down, making sure my back was against the headboard as I situated the tray on my lap.

I was in the middle of chewing on my last piece of toast when the door opened, and I saw Nate pop his head in.

"Finally, you lazy ass. You've been asleep each time me and Harry snuck up here," Nate whined as he walked in, Harry following in right after. I glared at him.

"Sorry I nearly split my head open on the dungeon floor and had to sleep it all off. I'll choose to go through the pain consciously next time," I deadpanned, and Nate just rolled his eyes before bouncing onto my bed. He wriggled against me, looking for more space on the bed. With a small growl, I placed my tray on the closer night desk as I scooted over. Nate flung his arms out, and nearly hit me in the face.

"Oops," He said, and I just hit him on the arm.

"Harry, Bells is abusing me again," Nate whined, drawling out the a in Harry's name. Harry just laughed.

"It's not my fault you're being a bit more than obnoxious," Harry commented, and Nate just frowned while he latched himself on to me, his arms wrapping around my middle and legs hooking onto my lower half.

"But. But. I've missed her," my brother said, and I just sighed.

"You're an idiot," I told him, and his purple eyes just bore into mine.

"But you're my idiot," I mumbled, and he just grinned before kissing my cheek. He disentangled himself from me immediately, and hopped off the bed.

"You know, Slughorn bout had a heart attack when he turned to see you oozing blood all over his floor," Nate said as he picked a strip of bacon off my plate.

"Stupid hot counter top," I said under my breath, and Nate just laughed.

"You're just clumsy Bella Wella," He said as he polished off all of my bacon. Harry frowned.

"Nate, stop eating Bells food, she does have to eat breakfast too," he scolded my brother, and I shrugged.

"I'm not very hungry," I admitted, and Nate looked at me.

"You haven't been eating much lately dummy," He pointed out, and I frowned. A piece of toast or two during breakfast most days, maybe with a bit of bacon and eggs. Half a sandwich during lunch, with maybe a small handful of chips... I now saw his point. I shrugged again.

"Haven't been too hungry lately," I said, and Harry looked at me, a bit concerned.

"Bells, you have to eat more than just toast," he said with a sigh before sitting at the foot of my bed. Nate nodded while scarfing down my eggs.

"He's right," my twin brother said, the food in his mouth creating quite the show.

"I'm not going to if you keep eating with your mouth open," I teased, and he shrugged.

"Whatever, I do what I want," He said with a wink.

"Bells, you sure you don't want any more toast or anything?" Harry asked, and I wrinkled my nose.

"I'm okay for now," I said, and at the look in his eyes, continued with, "I promise if I get hungry I'll sneak to the kitchens."

He nodded, and Nate looked at my plate with a sad expression.

"It's... It's all gone. Cries," He said as he pretended to wail over the loss of the food that was now residing in his stomach.

"Go get more," Harry said, and Nate looked like someone had given him a puppy.

"You're right. Breakfast isn't over yet. Thanks Harry, seeyouguyslaterbye," Nate rushed through, running out of the room at full speed.

"He's going to kill someone one day going at that speed. I hope you know you'll have to take full responsibility for this Harry," I said with the straightest look in my face. Harry shook his head.

"You're his sister. You have at least seventy five perfect of the responsibility," He told me with a smirk, and I grimaced.

"Fifty fifty?" I asked, and he looked to be in deep thought.

"Fine. But if it comes down to it, we blame Ron," He said, and I just laughed.

"Blame Ronald it is," I said with a wink, and almost hit myself in the face. Why was it so hard for me to stop flirting with Harry? Harry blushed slightly, and looked out the window for a few minutes. It was silent, but not the awkward silence where you practically were begging on your knees for someone to come in and say something that would break it. It was a comfortable silence, the kind where you could smile and close your eyes feel so at peace with yourself and know that the other person could do the same.

I looked at how the sunlight came into the room, and saw how it bounced off of Harry. Before I knew what I was doing, I traced his profile with my eyes, and noticed how the light reflected off his eyes to make them seem like they were as deep as the ocean. Flecks of forest green, hazel, and even gray came alive, and I couldn't help but lean in slightly. Mentally slapping myself, I quickly leaned back and directed my eyes to my hands in my lap. My thumb fidgeted over my other hand, and took in a sharp breath when a third hand joined the pile.

"Harry, wha-" I whispered, still looking at my hands, when Harry shook his head and put a finger over my lips.

"Listen. Please?" He said quietly, and I just nodded. He smiled, and it was so infectious I couldn't help but smile into my lap. My hands looked like as white as snow when next to Harry's, and I thought of how nice they fit together.

"You know, I remember the first time I met you. Your mum had told you to stick close to Ron and Nate, and you ended up in our compartment after Ron went to go look for an empty one... You already knew that mine was probably the least empty," Harry said with a side smile, and I just rolled my eyes at the memory of my brother being insistent that there just had to be an empty compartment somewhere on the train.

"We all got acquainted, and me and Ron immediately hit it off. We all did, really. Then you found Neville's toad, and when Neville and Hermione came in, you immediately struck up a conversation with Hermione about Transfiguration and Neville started talking to Nate about Herbology and plants. It was one of the best days of my life, meeting you all," Harry trailed off, looking down at our hands. He looked out of touch, like he was reliving the day we all ended up becoming friends. The way me and Harry laughed our butts off when Hermione commented on the dirt on Ron's nose came into mind, and I laughed softly.

"That was one of the best days of my life," I repeated, and he looked up at me with a lopsided grin.

"After all these years, I keep thinking that the best day of my life was meeting you guys. But.. It wasn't until recently that that changed. It sounds a bit selfish, really, but... I don't care," He said quietly, and I couldn't help but stop the eye contact and look down at our hands. Please don't talk about the kiss, please don't talk about the kiss, Please don't talk about the kiss.

"I know you don't remember it, but I took you back to the dorms after the Hufflepuff party."

Please don't talk about the kiss. Please don't talk about this kiss.

"I thought it was all in my head, after you said you didn't remember."

Please don't talk about the kiss. Please don't talk about the kiss.

"But, I can remember it all so clearly."

Please don't talk about the kiss. Please don't talk about the kiss.

"You kissed me, and I kissed you back."

Please don't talk about the kiss. Please don- Damn.

"It was... The most amazing moment in my life Bells. I don't know exactly where the line between friendship and relationship blurred for us... But it did," He said, and lifting one of my hands with his own. Gently, he kissed my wrist, and I could feel tears start to blur my vision. I shook my head.

"Harry... You. Just. And. Ugh. You deserve... Better than me." I croaked, and he looked at me.

"Isabella Marie Swan. I love the way your laugh sounds like wind chimes in the spring. The way your eyes sparkle and light up whenever you smile. The way you seem to know exactly what you're doing because of your confidence. The way your eyes crinkle at the corner of your eyes when you smile. The way you're so loyal to people you love. Just... You," Harry said, and I could only shut my eyes tight.

"I cannot keep crying at every little thing," I mumbled to myself, and Harry laughed.

"I heard about you crying when McGonagall told you about the internship opportunity at St. Mungo's. Congrats by the way," Harry said, and brushed back some of my hair behind my ear. I let out a shaky breath.

"You make me go insane," I accused him, and he just grinned slightly.

"In a good way right?" He said with a wink, and I just shook my head.

"Harry... I just. I don't deserve this. At all," I told him quietly, and he sighed.

"Bells, you need to accept the fact that you're a lot more than what you think you are," He told me, and I could feel him scoot closer and closer to me. I took in a deep breath.

"You know, I'm not the heroine of this story," I said, and he just snorted.

"I'm not saying you are. But you're close to it."

I chewed on my bottom lip, and knew I had to tell him. I didn't know how he'd react, but I knew he'd think of me differently. He had to.

"I didn't ever plan on coming back," I said, and he looked up at me, confused.

"I had envisioned myself staying in Forks for a lot longer than I had. I would have left eventually, but... Not by myself," I said quietly, and cleared my throat. I knew I was close to just full on bawling, but I knew I had to spit out everything about the last year of my life.

"I... Fell in love. Stupidly. With... With Edward Cullen." I slowly pulled my hands out of his hold, and began to fiddle with them. "I thought he was... My world basically. I was ready to marry him, to run and never look back. I was blind. I.. I never planned on coming back. I was ready to live in the muggle world, forget about everything. Ready to leave Nate. Leave my family. Leave... You. All of you guys behind. I'm not proud of it. Oh, God no. Also, I remember the kiss. I just.. Didn't want to ruin our friendship." I added, trying to make more ammunition for him to use against me.

Harry looked down at my hands, and I sighed.

"Anyways. It wasn't until he left me that I snapped back to my senses. And... Then you showed up," I said, finishing my story. I shut my eyes, waiting for him to start to yell at me, or maybe even slap me. But, instead, I felt a familiar hand work their way over my own. I opened my eyes.

"Bells. What's important is that you're here now. I'm not going to say I'm a bit... I don't have a word for what it is. Also, I'm not that bad of a kisser for you to do that to me. But. You're here now," He said slowly, and I just looked at him.

"You're an idiot," I said with a nervous laugh, and he just chuckled.

"Does this idiot get to take you out on Saturday?" He said, batting his eyes. I groaned.

"You're going to regret it," I warned him, and he shrugged.

"I've done a lot of stupid things. I don't think this is one of them," He teased, and I just dragged him into a hug.

"You're too incredible sometimes," I mumbled into his ear, and he just ran a hand through my hair.

"You're too modest sometimes," he mumbled back. The door opened, and I saw Nate over Harrys shoulder.

"Finally! Mother of God, I've been trying to hook you two up since fourth year and the Yule Ball. Does this mean I get to have a little Potter named after me?" Nate said, grinning from ear to ear. He jumped around the room in a dance he must have just made up. I glared, and reached for a pillow. Just as I threw it, he took cover and fell on the floor.

"NURSE. NURSE YOUR PATIENT IS ATTACKING ME," Nate yelled, and Harry turned to glare at Nate.

"Nathan, get out. You're ruining the moment," Harry said, and Nate put his hands up.

"Just name a little Potter after me. Maybe Potter-Swan? Just. Name someone after me," He said with a wink, before running out just as I threw another pillow.

"Your brothers an idiot," Harry said just as I said, "My brothers an idiot."

We both laughed, and ended up laying on the bed together, talking about class. When it was time for him to leave for class, I sat up and hugged him. At the last minute, he kissed me on the cheek and ran out of the room. Blushing, my hand went up to where he kissed me.

Oh yeah, I thought. This week is going to be amazing.

* * *

><p>And. Yeah. Hi. Fourteen pages on Word. WHOO. Sorry about the lack of progression by means of time here, but we'll skip over the next few days and go straight to Slughorns party with one or two flashbacks of the week. I'm getting there with the time. Schools stressful, but I'm leveling everything out and my time managements getting better. So my updates will span two weeks  a week and a half normally. Anyways. Yeah. Hope you guys liked this chapter.

-Lori


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